Sweet Gains from Skill Copying

August 17, 2030. For humanity, it was a day of unparalleled catastrophe.

Across the globe, dimensional portals, known as Gates, materialized, unleashing an onslaught of enigmatic monsters.

To compound the horror, modern weaponry proved utterly ineffective against these creatures. Armies deployed to combat them merely became their next meal.

Consequently, within a mere month of the catastrophic day, a staggering sixty percent of the human population perished.

As humanity faced unilateral slaughter by the monsters, individuals possessing extraordinary abilities began to emerge across the world.

These individuals, dubbed Awakened, could wield a unique power known as Force. This power allowed them to inflict damage upon the monsters, which had previously been impervious to all attacks.

Following the advent of the Awakened, humanity, which had been steadily pushed back, launched a series of counterattacks, reclaiming some of their lost territories. However, the Awakened suffered heavy casualties in return, necessitating immediate measures to mitigate their losses.

China was the first to act.

They halted their large-scale offensive against the monsters and began constructing colossal defensive walls around the secured sections of their reclaimed territories.

Initially, people scoffed, wondering what good such ancient-looking fortifications would do against monsters. Yet, it did not take long for their skepticism to dissipate.

The walls, forged from reinforced alloys, proved resilient enough to withstand the monsters’ relentless assaults. This, in turn, provided the Awakened with a foundation for efficient defensive strategies.

Ultimately, the Chinese Awakened successfully repelled the monsters by utilizing these walls, incurring minimal casualties. Prompted by this success, governments worldwide swiftly accelerated their own wall construction efforts.

Meanwhile, the emergence of the Awakened and the construction of the walls began to alter the monsters’ behavior.

Lower-grade monsters started to coalesce around powerful, high-grade creatures, thereby establishing their own distinct territories.

As the monsters refrained from aggressive actions and focused on territorial establishment, the war entered a lull. This afforded humanity a brief respite.

In essence, the arrival of the Awakened allowed humanity to overcome the dire calamity of the monsters, entering a new phase of uneasy coexistence.

****

June 2035. In a semi-basement apartment in a villa in Hapjeong-dong, Seoul.

“Hah!”

A young man lying on the bed jolted upright, his face etched with surprise, as he quickly scanned his surroundings.

“Th-this is…”

It was a profoundly familiar space: the semi-basement room where the twenty-five-year-old Choi Junhyuk resided with his younger siblings.

“Hah! D-did I really return? To the past?”

Even as he had prepared diligently for his regression, clutching the Stone of Regression in his hand, a lingering doubt persisted in a corner of his mind: ‘Could I truly go back to the past?’

Regression. It was a scenario one would only ever encounter in novels.

Yet, he had truly regressed. He had returned to a time before he became a villain, before he had even awakened his abilities.

Junhyuk sprang from the bed and immediately picked up the phone resting on his desk. The main screen displayed the current date and time.

“June 13th, 7:14 AM… And the year?”

Launching the calendar app, he saw the June calendar, with the current year displayed at the top.

“2035… Hah! 2035?”

Only five years had passed since the Great Catastrophe. Before his regression, he was forty-eight years old; now, he was twenty-five, having regressed exactly twenty-three years.

More importantly, it was a mere month before the incident that would completely upend his life.

“Oh? Wait! Then Eunjung and Euncheol are still…”

His young siblings, who had died in a traffic accident while visiting him in prison after he was falsely accused. Though not bound by blood, they were precious to Junhyuk.

As this thought seized him, Junhyuk hastily opened the door and stepped into the living room.

Creak!

There, a young girl, no older than an elementary school student, was already up, meticulously setting the breakfast table with her small, delicate hands.

“Eunjung!”

Startled by the sudden shout, Eunjung, who had just finished setting the table, widened her eyes and looked at Junhyuk.

“O-oppa… Y-you’re awake.”

After a moment of surprise, Eunjung stammered, her expression now subdued. Junhyuk slowly approached her.

“Oh, oh, um… I haven’t finished setting the table yet…”

Seeing Junhyuk approach, Eunjung seemed unsure of what to do.

“I missed you so much, Eunjung.”

With those words, Junhyuk knelt and embraced her tightly with both arms.

“Oh? Oh, oh…”

‘Missed you so much?’ She had seen him the day before, and the day before that, and every day. What a sudden and bewildering thing to say.

After a long embrace, Junhyuk finally released her and spoke.

“Oppa has a lot to apologize to you for.”

Eunjung wore a puzzled expression at Junhyuk’s sudden actions.

“…”

Junhyuk chuckled softly, then said, “It’s just how it is. I’ll take care of the rest, so go wake up Euncheol. You two need to eat quickly and get ready for school.”

“Oh… Yes.”

Hesitating for a moment at Junhyuk’s words, Eunjung eventually went into the room to wake her brother. Junhyuk watched her go, a wistful expression on his face.

“Haa, this is all my fault…”

Eunjung always seemed so timid. In truth, Eunjung and Euncheol were, strictly speaking, strangers to Junhyuk.

During his elementary school years, his father’s business failed, leaving them homeless. His extravagant mother couldn’t endure it and ultimately demanded a divorce.

Years passed, and just as Junhyuk was graduating high school, his father brought someone home, introducing her as his future stepmother. Having no fond memories of his birth mother, Junhyuk felt no aversion to the new woman.

The two had a simple wedding, and it was at the ceremony that Junhyuk first saw Eunjung and Euncheol. That very day also marked the beginning of the Great Catastrophe.

Gates suddenly materialized, unleashing hordes of monsters. A Gate happened to appear near the wedding venue, causing monsters to storm the hall. His father and stepmother were killed by the creatures on their wedding day.

Meanwhile, as Junhyuk regained his senses and frantically tried to escape, he spotted Eunjung and Euncheol weeping. After a moment of hesitation, Junhyuk ultimately grabbed the two children and quickly fled the wedding hall.

Forced to lead a difficult life on the run, evading monsters with these children who were not truly his siblings, Junhyuk became physically and mentally exhausted.

Eventually, he began to entertain the thought: ‘If Father hadn’t met Stepmother and held the wedding, I wouldn’t have gone to that venue. Then, perhaps, they wouldn’t have died.’

Every time that thought surfaced, he grew to despise Eunjung and Euncheol, the children of that woman. He began to unleash his anger on the young children.

Still too young to even be in elementary school, Eunjung and Euncheol had no choice but to endure Junhyuk’s wrath, simply to survive in such a harsh world.

Three years passed, and as he grew somewhat accustomed to this new world, Junhyuk was finally able to quell the burning rage in his heart. Only then did he truly notice the children, trembling and wary of his gaze.

Suddenly, another emotion surged through Junhyuk: self-loathing. ‘What have I been doing to these innocent children? They, too, lost their mother, just as I lost my father.’

From that moment, Junhyuk began to change. He never raised his voice at the children and always prioritized their safety in everything he did.

He knew that his past actions were unforgivable, but he focused all his attention on his siblings, viewing it as a minimum act of atonement. This eventually led them to Seoul, bringing them to their current situation.

Initially, he had treated the children well out of a sense of atonement, but now, they had become the very pillars that sustained him.

While Euncheol, being a boy, eventually regained his cheerful disposition over time, Eunjung, though somewhat better than before, still watched him warily.

“I need to do better. And yet, I really came back.”

Realizing he had regressed, Junhyuk unconsciously clenched his fist.

“Phew, it’s a shame I couldn’t return to a time when my father was still alive, but this is still a blessing. My siblings are alive, and I haven’t been falsely accused yet. Isn’t this enough? I shouldn’t think about anything else. I’ll only focus on living well with my siblings.”

It would have been even better if he had regressed to a time when his father was alive, but that was not something Junhyuk could decide. Even the current situation was nothing short of a blessing for him.

“Of course, to do that, I’ll first need to build up my strength. And my wealth too.”

The reason Junhyuk had desperately sought regression was his family. Though his father was gone, his siblings remained. To live happily with them, he first needed power—power that would ensure he was never swayed by anyone.

There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t be falsely accused again, just like before his regression. Therefore, Junhyuk intended to systematically execute the plans he had formulated prior to his regression.

‘First, I must acquire Hyung-nim Gicheol’s Copy ability, which will form the foundation of my formidable power. But… I don’t know if he’s acquired the ability yet. I’ll have to find out.’

After taking the children to school and returning home, Junhyuk turned on his computer and quickly typed out the information he had researched while preparing for his regression.

Humans are creatures of forgetfulness; if he only kept it in his head, he would eventually forget. He intended to write down the contents of his mind before that happened.

“Hmm, that should be mostly organized…”

Junhyuk saved all the information he remembered onto his computer, then copied it to a separate USB drive as a precaution. Just as he was unplugging the USB to put it in his pocket,

Ring-ring-ring~

His phone rang.

“Hm? Who… Oh? Hyung-nim Gicheol?”

The name Park Gicheol appeared on the phone. At this time, he was the team leader of the Hyena team, which Junhyuk belonged to, and also the original owner of the ability Junhyuk intended to seize.

Identifying the caller, Junhyuk immediately answered.

“Hello.”

Immediately, a gruff voice came through the phone.

“Hey, why aren’t you here? Everyone’s waiting for you!”

‘Ah! Was today a mission day?’

Having just regressed, Junhyuk couldn’t possibly remember the mission schedule. He made a face of sudden realization and quickly replied,

“Ah! Haha, something came up. It looks like I won’t be able to make it today. Please go without me.”

Even if he prepared to leave now, it would be difficult to arrive on time, and he also needed time to adjust to the current timeline, so Junhyuk decided to skip work today.

“What? What’s going on? Choi Junhyuk, of all people, skipping work? Hey! Is something really wrong with you?”

Since Junhyuk had never missed a mission since starting with the Hyenas, Gicheol asked with a worried tone. Junhyuk laughed and replied,

“Haha, something did come up, but it’s nothing to worry about. I’ll definitely be there for the next mission, so don’t worry. And don’t hit the jackpot while I’m gone; just make enough to get by, okay?”

“Hmph! Listen to this guy’s insolence. When you’re not here, I’ll hit such a big jackpot that you’ll be green with envy for at least a month. Anyway, whatever it is, I hope it resolves well. See you in two days.”

“Yes. Take care.”

Hanging up the phone, Junhyuk wore a thoughtful expression.

“Not yet, then. That’s good. Well, I feel sorry for Hyung-nim… No, wait. Hyung-nim died young after gaining this ability, so perhaps I could even be considered his savior?”

The ability to copy an opponent’s skills. Gicheol, who first acquired it, couldn’t even utilize it properly and instead met his end because of it.

Therefore, it was questionable how efficient this ability would be compared to combat-oriented Awakened skills. However, the mere fact that he could copy an opponent’s skills was a huge advantage for Junhyuk.

He was confident that combined with his ultimate weapon, ‘Supersenses’, it would create a powerful synergy.