The First Transfer and the Copy Master’s Awakening

[Warning! Initiating System Transfer will result in the caster’s physical body being annihilated. Do you wish to proceed?]

As the mechanical voice concluded, the man spoke.

“Heh heh, it doesn’t matter anyway… cough! This body is dying. Execute!”

No sooner had the command left the man’s lips than a series of mechanical beeps echoed within Junhyuk’s mind.

[User Park Kangho has initiated System Transfer. Transfer target Choi Junhyuk will be registered as the new user.]

[Second Original System. Initiating transfer of Copy Master.]

[Scanning user Choi Junhyuk’s body. 10%…]

[20%…]

Even as the system transfer began, Junhyuk maintained his vigilance, refusing to let his guard down.

The transfer was still in progress, meaning he could cancel it at any moment.

‘It’s almost time! I must stay alert until the very last moment!’

Junhyuk had to keep his facade perfectly intact until the very end of the transfer.

“W-What… what is this? What have you done to me?”

As Junhyuk feigned panic, the man known as Park Kangho curved his lips into a bitter smile.

“Heh heh heh, I’m giving you… cough! My power. You, kid… you’ve hit the jackpot. This ability would just disappear when I die anyway. Groan! T-To help someone else like this… cough! It’s not my style, but… gasp, gasp. I have no choice. Please… find my family… and t-take care of them.”

“What are you even…”

Just as Junhyuk was about to speak, Park Kangho abruptly cut him off.

“There’s no time! Cough! J-Just accept it! And… remember this. This ability can become poison if others find out about it. So, until you secure enough power… cough! Cough! Don’t reveal yourself and exercise caution until at least your Second Awakening.”

Upon hearing Park Kangho’s advice to keep his abilities hidden, Junhyuk’s expression shifted to genuine bewilderment.

‘Huh! What is this? Surely, Gicheol Hyungnim didn’t hear this advice and still openly used his abilities, did he? This is…’

Indeed. Park Gicheol had likely received the same warning as Junhyuk.

Yet, the fact that he had revealed his Copy ability could only mean one thing: Park Gicheol was a thoughtless fool, practically brain-dead.

……

Meanwhile, the mechanical voice continued to resound in Junhyuk’s ears.

[60%…]

[70%…]

The body scan for the transfer was nearing its conclusion. Junhyuk, for his part, maintained his bewildered expression.

However, the moment the scan surpassed 70%, a faint light began to emanate from Park Kangho’s entire body.

“Heh heh heh. It seems it’s ending. Sigh… life is truly a b*tch. In fantasy novels, they return home and live happily ever after…”

As light began to glow from his entire body, Park Kangho, who had been groaning in pain, gradually seemed to regain a sense of peace. Yet, at the same time, his body began to grow increasingly translucent.

“U-Uh, hey! Y-Your body…”

Junhyuk stammered, still feigning a flustered expression, when Park Kangho suddenly grabbed him by the collar.

Grab!

“Gah!”

“Remember this. My family… you must find them and take care of them. If you break your promise… I will never forgive you, even in death.”

With those words, Park Kangho released his grip on Junhyuk’s collar, a look of profound resignation on his face. By then, his body had become even fainter.

“Damn it. After all that suffering, after struggling so hard to return… it all comes to nothing, just to hand it over to some dog. Heh heh heh. Dammit… I wanted to be a good son…”

Pshhhhhh.

With that final utterance, Park Kangho’s body dissolved into a handful of shimmering light, scattering into the air. Simultaneously, Junhyuk, who had worn a look of panic, now returned to a perfectly expressionless face, as if nothing had happened.

‘So, I’ve gained the ability. Though I only heard bits and pieces, to disappear so vainly… it’s a bit bitter. Well, it can’t be helped. I suppose I’ll just have to fulfill his request properly.’

At that exact moment, the body scan completed.

[100%…]

[User Choi Junhyuk’s body scan is complete.]

[The user’s body is unsuitable for accepting the system. Reconfiguring the body through awakening.]

‘Body reconfiguration, huh… He certainly said immense pain would follow, didn’t he? Hoo…’

Normally, the body did not undergo reconfiguration during the awakening process. This held true for both natural and forced awakenings.

However, Park Gicheol had explicitly mentioned experiencing excruciating pain and body reconfiguration during his awakening. As if to prove his words true, Junhyuk was now also undergoing body reconfiguration.

[Warning! Please be advised that slight pain may accompany the body reconfiguration process.]

[Initiating Awakening. 1%…]

After a single warning message, the awakening began immediately. Simultaneously, an unimaginable agony, unlike anything he had ever experienced, assaulted Junhyuk’s entire body.

Crack! Crunch!

“Cough! Groaaaan!“

Despite having mentally prepared himself, the pain was so overwhelming that screams involuntarily tore from his throat.

[10%…]

[15%…]

Throughout the awakening, Junhyuk was forced to endure the agony of his bones twisting and muscles tearing across his entire body. The intense, unbearable pain made him wish a hundred times over that he would simply pass out. Unfortunately, Junhyuk’s mind was clearer than ever, driving him to the brink of madness.

“Kuaaaah! Aaaah! Ugh!“

Creak! Crunch!

What did they mean by ‘slight pain’? The agony was so extreme that Junhyuk’s mind was utterly blank, like a pristine white sheet of paper.

As the awakening continued, the intensity of the pain escalated further. When it reached its peak, Junhyuk momentarily considered that he might actually die.

Amidst his writhing in pain, the mechanical voice sounded in Junhyuk’s ears once more.

[Awakening rate reached 50%. Core creation for Original System user initiated.]

“Kuaaah! Fu-f*ck! Aaaah!”

The pain was so severe that curses erupted from him instinctively. Thankfully, as the awakening surpassed 50% and neared 60%, the pain gradually began to subside.

“Ugh…”

Then, at some point, the agony that had felt eternal vanished as if it had been a lie.

[90%…]

[95%…]

[100%]

[Awakening complete. Second Original System. Copy Master has been perfectly integrated into user Choi Junhyuk’s body.]

The awakening was finally over. The entire process had taken just over 30 minutes. However, for Junhyuk, who had endured such extreme suffering, those 30 minutes had felt like an eternity.

With the awakening complete and the pain gone, Junhyuk collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.

“Haa, haa. Damn… I thought I was going to die. Huff, huff.”

Once again, a mechanical voice resonated in Junhyuk’s ears.

[System Transfer complete. All stats will be initialized as a new user has been registered.]

[A privilege is granted as the first transfer was successfully completed.]

[You will randomly inherit three skills from the former user, Park Kangho. Applying randomly…]

Zzzing!

[Random application complete. Inherited skills can be confirmed in the Skill Window.]

……

[Since a derivative system already exists on this planet, the system interface will be readjusted to match this planet.]

Zzzzzzzing!

[Readjustment complete. System commands have been added. Please check the commands.]

Upon hearing the mechanical voice instruct him to check the commands, Junhyuk quickly spoke.

“Check commands.”

Immediately, commands in Korean appeared before Junhyuk’s eyes.

[Open Status Window]

[Open Skill Window]

[Open Skill Deck]

The commands were categorized into three options: Open Status Window, Open Skill Window, and Open Skill Deck. After confirming the three commands, Junhyuk first opened the Status Window.

“I should check it first. Open Status Window.”

As he opened the Status Window, a display showing his current status appeared before him.

User: Choi Junhyuk [First Awakening]
Age: 25
Occupation: Copy Master
System: Second Original
Attack: 100 Defense: 100
HP: 15000 Force: 5000 [1 recovery per 10 seconds]
Core: Generating [1%…]

The Status Window was remarkably clean and straightforward. However, as Junhyuk had been an awakened individual even before his regression, it didn’t feel particularly new to him.

“HP 15,000 and Force 5,000… Just as I heard, it’s a maxed-out awakening. Heh heh. A good start, at least.”

What did feel new, unlike his past, was that his HP and Force were at their maximum values.

Upon awakening, HP and Force were randomly assigned. According to current knowledge, HP ranged from a minimum of 6,000 to a maximum of 15,000, while Force ranged from a minimum of 2,000 to a maximum of 5,000.

In other words, Junhyuk had received the maximum possible stats for a First Awakening.

“Hmm, but ‘Core: Generating’? What is this? I never heard Gicheol Hyungnim mention anything like this…”

What he had learned from Park Gicheol were the detailed circumstances of acquiring the ability and that the ability allowed him to copy other awakened individuals’ skills. He had never heard any mention of a ‘core.’

“Well, since it’s ‘generating,’ I suppose I’ll find out when it’s complete later. Alright, then next… Open Skill Window!”

There was no point in pondering it alone, and it was something he would eventually confirm anyway, so he decided to move on for now. As he opened the Skill Window, his owned skills appeared before Junhyuk’s eyes.

Unique Skill: [Active] Copy [Lv.Max]

• Can activate the skill through physical contact with a derivative system user (awakened being).

• Upon one contact, can select and copy up to 3 skills possessed by the target.

• Copied skills do not grow.

• A target that has been copied once can be copied again after 24 hours.

• As a unique skill, it can be used without being registered in the Skill Deck.
  Casting Time: [Instant]
  Cooldown: [None]
  Force Consumption: [500]

General Skill: [Passive] Force Booster [Lv.Max]

• Max Force amount increased by 100%

• Force recovery 1 per second

• As a general skill, it can be used by registering it in the Skill Deck.

General Skill: [Active] Force Weapon [Lv.Max]

• Can summon a weapon of desired form using the power of Force.

• Summoned weapon’s Attack Power [15,000 at First Awakening]

• Weapon Attack Power increases by an additional 200% at each awakening stage.

• Currently registered weapon types: 8 [Can delete registered weapon forms and register new weapon forms.]

• As a general skill, it can be used by registering it in the Skill Deck.
  Casting Time: [Instant]
  Summon Duration: [12 hours]
  Cooldown: [5 hours after unsummoning]
  Force Consumption: [5000]

There were a total of three skills displayed in the Skill Window: the active skill Copy, categorized as a Unique Skill; the passive skill Force Booster, categorized as a General Skill; and the active skill Force Weapon.

“Hmm? What is this? This is completely different from what I heard. Does it mean the skills granted change depending on the person?”

The skills Park Gicheol had received were entirely different from those now visible to Junhyuk. Frankly, Gicheol’s skills were negligible, neither particularly useful in combat nor in daily life.

In contrast, the skills Junhyuk had been granted were, upon closer inspection, all incredibly powerful.

“They’re all amazing, though. Not only is Copy max level, but Force Weapon and Force Booster are practically overpowered.”

After a brief review of the skills, Junhyuk’s expression turned quizzical.

“But ‘Original System’? ‘Derivative System’? What exactly are these?”

Junhyuk briefly pondered the ‘Original System’ and ‘Derivative System’ but soon stopped, slowly rising from his seat.

“Sigh, well, agonizing over it won’t give me answers, and I’ll gradually learn more when the time comes. Anyway, shouldn’t I start collecting the spoils of war now?”

In truth, Junhyuk could have collected plenty of spoils when he went to save Park Kangho. However, he hadn’t done so to avoid creating any unforeseen variables.

At the time, Park Gicheol had rushed to save only Park Kangho, fearing a sudden monster appearance, and returned to the apartment. Afterward, due to his sudden awakening, he hadn’t been able to focus on it. The next day, realizing his oversight, he returned to the scene, only to find the spoils already gone.

They had likely been discovered and taken by a hunting party or an individual long before. Park Gicheol had often regretted not thinking to collect the spoils back then, recalling the incident frequently.

Because of this, Junhyuk had long planned to collect the spoils. He had merely followed Park Gicheol’s exact actions to avoid any unexpected variables. Now that he had obtained what he wanted, he was ready to go retrieve the loot.

“Heh heh, I wonder what’s waiting.”

When a monster died, its body would turn to dust and scatter, leaving behind byproducts like bones or hides, crystals, or various items such as skill cards or awakening stones. These dropped items were one of the primary reasons Hunters pursued monsters.

Simply put, the byproducts from slaying monsters were quite lucrative. Even lower-tier monsters yielded decent profits, so there was no need to even mention higher-tier ones.

With a certain degree of anticipation, Junhyuk departed from the ruined apartment.