Sweet Gains from Skill Copying

Upon their return to the area, Yoo Sangjin and his party promptly initiated the settlement process.

All the spoils acquired from the hunt were processed through their main dealer.

While auctioning the items on Force Life might have yielded a slightly higher profit, it would have necessitated a wait of several days.

Therefore, their established practice was to liquidate the goods and settle the accounts on the very same day, even if it meant accepting a slightly lower sum.

The total settlement amounted to 130 million won.

Choi Junhyuk’s share, representing 18% of the total, was just under 24 million won.

Despite a lower settlement percentage than usual, the amount each individual took home was, surprisingly, larger.

This was entirely due to the Awakening Stone.

“Wow, if we could earn this much every time, I’d have no regrets!”

“Exactly! Ten million won for a single run is definitely worth it.”

Typically, dealers would take home an average of three to four million won per run.

Yet, today alone, their individual settlement exceeded ten million won.

It was a sum that would usually require two or three hunting expeditions, earned in just a single day.

“We were just lucky. Who would’ve thought an Awakening Stone would appear there? Still, thinking about it that way, it’s a bit of a shame. It would have been even better if it had been a dealer-class Awakening Stone, not a support-class one.”

Both support-class and dealer-class Awakening Stones inherently had similar drop rates.

However, their prices differed by more than tenfold, so how could one not feel a twinge of regret?

“You’re right. If it had been a dealer-class Awakening Stone, it would’ve been at least a billion won.”

As Kang Cheolmin and Wonjin were lamenting over such trivial matters, Yoo Sangjin spoke up loudly.

“Enough with the useless chatter. Go get some rest, everyone. You all worked hard, and Junhyuk, you did exceptionally well too. Do your best on the test tomorrow, and let’s meet again in the hunting grounds soon.”

In response to Yoo Sangjin’s words, Choi Junhyuk bowed his head respectfully.

“Ah, yes. Thanks to today, I gained practical experience and learned a great deal. Thank you.”

“Take care, and we’ll see you in the hunting grounds next time.”

“Sangjin, once you graduate from the beginner zone, you absolutely have to join our party as a tank! Haha!”

“Haha, you all head on in.”

After parting ways with the party members, only Choi Junhyuk and Kang Cheolmin remained.

Kang Cheolmin subtly approached, asking in a low voice, “Hey. You used that earlier, didn’t you?”

“That?”

“Oh, come on, don’t play dumb. I’m talking about Supersense. Supersense.”

Kang Cheolmin was the only one who knew about Choi Junhyuk’s Supersense.

At Kang Cheolmin’s subtle inquiry, Choi Junhyuk nodded, acknowledging it.

“Haa, you’re right.”

“I knew it. Otherwise, those movements earlier wouldn’t make any sense. But are you okay? You used to suffer from headaches for almost an entire day after using that ability.”

During his high school days, he often found himself in unfavorable outnumbered fights, and each time, he resorted to using Supersense.

However, this ability came with a significant drawback: an excruciating headache that followed each use.

Initially, it lasted only five to ten minutes, but the more he used the ability, the longer the headaches persisted, eventually forcing him to endure them for nearly an entire day.

Ultimately, Choi Junhyuk could no longer bear the pain and sealed away his Supersense.

‘I was a bit worried too, but there are no odd symptoms yet. Is it because of the awakening?’

Before his regression, after awakening as a dealer and engaging in villainous activities, he had no choice but to unseal and use Supersense.

He had fully expected severe headaches to follow and tensed up, but there were no after-effects whatsoever.

It was then that Choi Junhyuk realized: the side effects of Supersense had vanished concurrently with his awakening.

That was why he had used Supersense earlier without any hesitation.

“The side effects disappeared with your awakening? Huh! Really? Wow! Doesn’t that make it completely overpowered? Using that incredible ability without any drawbacks?”

Of course, Supersense wasn’t infallible.

An unawakened ordinary person couldn’t hunt monsters with Supersense alone, nor could it inflict significant harm on an awakened individual.

But when the awakened Choi Junhyuk utilized Supersense, the narrative changed entirely.

It was akin to adding wings to a tiger.

“Indeed. I’ll need to observe it a bit more, but if the side effects have truly vanished, it seems like it will be quite helpful for my work as a Hunter.”

“What? Helpful? Hey! Are you kidding me? It’s not just ‘helpful.’ It’s completely broken! Ha! This just proves that if you’re destined for success, anything you do works out! Ugh! Now I’m just envious. Hey! You have to buy me a drink today. If I don’t get something out of you, I swear I’ll die of envy!”

Choi Junhyuk chuckled at Kang Cheolmin’s words.

“Let’s save that drink for another time. Today, I’m planning to spend some quality time with my siblings.”

Kang Cheolmin, knowing how much Choi Junhyuk cared for his younger siblings, didn’t press the issue further.

“Ah! Your siblings? Well, in that case, there’s no helping it. But you absolutely have to buy me a drink next time!”

“You got it. A really lavish one.”

With that, Choi Junhyuk and Kang Cheolmin parted ways, promising to meet again.

****

The following day, Saturday, 10:30 AM.

Despite the relatively early hour, the area around the association was bustling with people for some reason.

‘Hmm, it’s quite chaotic. The test being scheduled for 11 AM, too. Is something going on?’

He had been told that tests were usually scheduled between 1 PM and 2 PM unless there was a special circumstance.

However, he had suddenly received a text yesterday, informing him that his test time had been moved to 11 AM.

Since there was no particular issue, he had simply accepted it, but seeing such a crowd suggested that something was happening at the association level.

As Choi Junhyuk navigated through the throng and approached the desk, Juhee, the reception staff, greeted him first.

“Welcome.”

Choi Junhyuk gave a slight nod and replied, “Ah, yes. Is something happening? The association, both inside and out, seems quite disordered.”

Juhee answered Choi Junhyuk’s question with an unconcerned expression. “Oh! It’s the day the Hunters dispatched to Thailand are returning.”

At Juhee’s words, Choi Junhyuk’s expression shifted to one of realization. “Ah!”

“Hunters dispatched to Thailand…? Ah! Now that you mention it, I remember seeing something about it in the news. I heard that a C-grade monster appeared from a sudden gate in the Bangkok area, which led to our country dispatching Hunters as well.”

This event had caused quite a stir even before his regression, not just in the news.

In terms of Hunter strength, South Korea ranked third in Asia, after China and Japan.

However, in this Thai dispatch, they achieved the second-highest contribution after China, surpassing Japan, and naturally secured significant benefits in the distribution of spoils.

Consequently, the media had extensively covered it, and the public had shown great interest.

Juhee nodded at Choi Junhyuk’s mention of seeing it in the news. “That’s right. Not only South Korea, but also Japan, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines dispatched their most renowned, high-ranking Hunters.

“Thanks to them, even though it was a C-grade monster classified as a disaster, they were able to deal with it quickly. Of course, the Thai Hunters suffered quite a bit of damage in the process.”

Gates are broadly divided into two types: fixed gates and sudden gates.

Fixed gates open once every two months, and while their exact locations may vary slightly, they remain within specific regions.

In contrast, sudden gates have no precise generation cycle and appear unexpectedly without a designated location.

While most sudden gates typically formed outside the defensive barriers, there were occasional instances of them appearing within the barriers, causing substantial damage to the affected area.

Furthermore, if the grade of the monsters emerging from a gate was low, defense was possible with only minor damage. However, if C-grade or higher monsters, classified as disaster-level, burst forth as in the Bangkok area, the damage incurred was immense.

Consequently, governments worldwide were grappling with finding countermeasures for these unpredictable sudden gates.

“Hoo, so today is the day the Hunters dispatched to Thailand are returning.”

“Yes. Once they return to the country, they first have to report to the association before going back to their respective guilds. Since they’re returning after successfully hunting a C-grade monster, there are many reporters gathered, and people who want to see high-ranking Hunters, who are usually hard to spot, are flocking here, making it so crowded. In fact, that’s why Mr. Junhyuk’s test was moved up.”

Choi Junhyuk inwardly rejoiced at Juhee’s words.

‘Oh ho! So high-ranking Hunters are coming here right now? If I play this right, a jackpot might be within reach!’

This was a golden opportunity to meet high-ranking Hunters in person, not just through the media.

If he could seize this chance and copy even one of them, regardless of their class, that itself would be nothing short of a jackpot.

“I see. But why was my test moved up because of that?”

What connection did the returning Hunters have with his test?

“The dispatched Hunters are expected to arrive at the association around 1 PM. Naturally, the association has to focus its attention there, so Mr. Junhyuk’s test time was moved up.”

“Ah…”

As Choi Junhyuk nodded in understanding, Juhee slowly emerged from behind the desk.

“Anyway, it’s almost time. As we informed you, you’ll need to wear special equipment for the test, so please come this way.”

The test would be conducted as a virtual battle using simulations, and naturally, suits and shields also required specialized equipment.

Thus, Choi Junhyuk was wearing ordinary casual clothes, not any specific gear.

As Juhee, having stepped out from the desk, immediately headed for the elevator, Choi Junhyuk followed behind her.

Upon reaching the first basement floor, Choi Junhyuk immediately entered the testing arena.

At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than an empty space, but though invisible to the eye, advanced technologies for virtual reality were embedded throughout the ceiling, floor, and walls.

‘Hmm, it’s almost identical to the simulation room.’

As someone registering as an awakened individual for the first time, Choi Junhyuk was, of course, also undergoing the third-stage test for the first time.

While he had a rough idea of what to expect, having used the simulation room multiple times before his regression, actually taking the test felt somewhat unfamiliar.

As Choi Junhyuk took a suitable spot, a man’s voice soon echoed through the speakers.

“Choi Junhyuk. Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“The monster you will be tanking is a C-grade Zerus, and the test duration is one hour. While most tests conclude before that, you will receive a higher score the longer you endure, so please do your best.”

“Understood.”

“Then, let the test begin.”

As soon as the command to start the test was given, the surrounding environment began to rapidly transform.

Whirrrr!

The empty space had, in an instant, morphed into the heart of a city, and an F-grade monster, Zerus, was manifesting before him.

‘Zerus, huh… This much is easily manageable with just Supersense. Shall I go all out from the start?’

In truth, Choi Junhyuk had removed his bracelet on his way to the association.

In virtual battles, combat data is meticulously recorded. If he were to use the bracelet, his aggro generation would significantly increase, and this would be preserved as data.

Wouldn’t anyone be suspicious if the values shown in the second-stage test were drastically different from the current ones?

Of course, if he revealed the existence of the bracelet, it wouldn’t matter, but he judged that it was still too early to expose the Twilight Bracelet.

There was a saying, wasn’t there? A treasure unsuited to one’s ability invites misfortune.

That said, he had no intention of performing merely adequately in the tanking ability evaluation itself.

What he intended to conceal was his copying ability, not Supersense.

As the Zerus finished manifesting, Choi Junhyuk moved his feet slowly, a faint, wry smile playing on his lips.

Simultaneously, he awakened his Supersense.

Zzzzzzt!

As Supersense awakened, a faint throbbing sensation was accompanied by a feeling of his body soaring, as if adrenaline were being over-secreted.

“Haa.”

Taking a deep breath, Choi Junhyuk immediately raised his shield and charged rapidly towards the Zerus.