Sweet Rewards from Skill Copy

A warm smile graced Junhyuk’s lips as he gazed at his younger siblings.

“Stop that. Don’t cry.”

At Junhyuk’s words, Euncheol quickly stifled his sobs.

“Sniff, I’m not… not crying. Sniff, sniff.”

Perhaps finding the sniffling Euncheol, who wiped away his tears, and Eunjung, who clutched his lapel with her head bowed low, utterly endearing, Junhyuk gently stroked both their heads.

“It seems you worried a lot. I’m sorry.”

Junhyuk, who had apologized while stroking his siblings’ hair, then looked at his younger sister and spoke.

“Eunjung.”

“Yes?”

“Your brother needs to discuss some work with this gentleman, so please take Euncheol and wait inside for a bit.”

At Junhyuk’s instruction to go inside for a moment, Eunjung took Euncheol’s hand and replied.

“Yes… Euncheol, come here.”

“Okay!”

Perhaps relieved to see Junhyuk back, Euncheol’s voice was filled with renewed vigor as he responded.

Once his siblings had re-entered the office, the owner turned to Junhyuk and spoke.

“Haha, they are truly adorable children. The little one started elementary school this time, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Tsk, I can roughly guess why you pushed yourself so hard. Even so, try to avoid spending the night in dangerous zones. You must consider what would happen to those children if something were to befall you. Nowadays… it’s incredibly difficult for children to survive without a guardian.”

As if agreeing with the owner’s words, Junhyuk nodded his head with a consenting expression.

“Haha, I was already planning to be more careful from now on. By the way, roughly how much do you think these will fetch? If nothing else, the TV should command a decent price.”

Junhyuk’s words prompted the owner to nod and respond.

“Hmm, it’s true that it will fetch a much higher price than the other items. Its condition is good enough that it could be sold quite expensively to some wealthy patrons.”

“So, how much will you give me for it? As you know, it’s a 98-inch ultra-large screen. You’re aware that before the Great Cataclysm, it cost nearly twenty million won, right?”

The owner, who had been inspecting the items, then spoke with a resolute expression.

“Twenty million? What nonsense. It’s used, isn’t it? Moreover, strictly speaking, it’s practically stolen goods. I’ll give you six million for everything combined.”

“Six million? Come on, you can do better. You know how rare it is to find usable items like these nowadays, don’t you?”

“As you know, the number of people looking for high-priced goods has significantly decreased recently. Not only electronics, but also food prices are steadily rising, so people are trying to save money wherever possible. In the past, an item in this condition could have easily fetched at least eight million, but now it’s practically impossible. I’ll add another five hundred thousand won. This is my absolute limit.”

The fundamental elements necessary for human survival are clothing, food, and shelter.

With all prices skyrocketing without end, people naturally prioritize investing in their most essential needs.

Everything else, excluding what they wear, eat, and where they live, was pushed down the priority list, and a pervasive atmosphere had taken hold where people would avoid buying electronics unless absolutely necessary.

Junhyuk was well aware of this prevailing sentiment, so he could no longer push for a higher price.

“Haa, well, there’s nothing for it, I suppose. Alright. It’s a deal.”

When Junhyuk reluctantly agreed, the owner smiled with satisfaction and said.

“Haha, a good decision. Frankly speaking, even the ‘Hyenas’ who hit the jackpot these days usually only make around one million won. Most people don’t even manage to bring in one hundred thousand won. In that sense, you, my boy, truly hit the ultimate jackpot. You know that, right?”

“Shouldn’t there be some reward for spending a night in a place teeming with monsters? If you, Boss, were to witness monsters coming and going right before your eyes, you wouldn’t feel this money was excessive at all.”

“Ugh, enough. Anyway, I expected you to insist on seven million, but you agreed surprisingly readily?”

In truth, the owner had anticipated going up to seven million.

And in the past, Junhyuk would have haggled relentlessly until he reached that price.

However, since Junhyuk stopped at a reasonable point himself, the owner couldn’t help but feel somewhat puzzled.

“It’s because I know the current climate isn’t very good, just as you said, Boss. But why? Are you going to offer more? Well, I wouldn’t refuse if you did…”

Junhyuk hadn’t haggled much, not only because of the atmosphere but also because he didn’t feel any particular reason to.

It was clear that selling the Awakening Stones and Skill Cards alone would bring in an enormous sum, so why bother squabbling over a few hundred thousand won here?

As Junhyuk playfully remarked that he wouldn’t refuse more, the owner’s expression turned serious.

“What?! What nonsense! Don’t you know the saying, ‘No take-backs’? Once you say ‘deal,’ that’s it! I’ll go get the money, so put the items over there.”

“Haha, yes.”

With that, the owner went into the office, and Junhyuk chuckled softly, then began unloading the items from the truck one by one.

****

After finishing his work and returning home with his siblings, Junhyuk’s first action was to call the school.

He had belatedly learned that his siblings had skipped school while waiting for him, so he felt he needed to at least explain the situation to their teacher.

“Haha, yes. There was a family matter. Yes. I should have contacted you earlier, but it was a bit late. Ah, yes. Haha, yes. They will attend school normally tomorrow. Yes. Then, goodbye.”

Having finished his call with the teacher, Junhyuk looked at his siblings.

“I’ve explained everything to your teacher, so just rest at home today. But from now on, never skip school again. Understood?”

At the mention of resting today, Euncheol jumped for joy.

“Wow! Really? I don’t have to go to school today? You’re the best, Hyung!”

“Goodness. Are you that happy?”

“Hehe.”

Junhyuk chuckled and lightly patted Euncheol’s head.

‘When I first opened my eyes after regressing, I truly thought I was dreaming…’

How much he had wept when he heard the news that his two younger siblings had died in a traffic accident while visiting him in prison.

He had spent several months in a daze, utterly disheartened.

Furthermore, his siblings’ deaths had been the greatest catalyst for Junhyuk becoming a villain.

Yet, when he opened his eyes again after death, he saw his two deceased siblings.

Naturally, he thought it was a dream, and if it was, he prayed it would never end.

And when he realized this was not a dream but reality, and that he had regressed to the past, he was ecstatic, as if soaring through the sky.

‘I will never lose you two again. I’ll protect you with everything I have.’

Because he had failed to protect his siblings in his previous life, Junhyuk vowed to protect them no matter what in this life.

“What should we have for lunch? Should we order something for a change?”

When Junhyuk suggested ordering food, Euncheol quickly raised his hand and shouted.

“I want Jjajang!”

“Haha, alright. Eunjung, how about you?”

“Me too…”

“Okay. Let’s order Jjajang, Jjamppong, and Tangsuyuk too. Haha.”

Having finished speaking, Junhyuk immediately called a nearby Chinese restaurant and placed an order.

“Eunjung. I’m going to go into my room for a bit, so call me when the food arrives.”

“Yes.”

Junhyuk entered his room, sat on a chair, and once again pulled out his phone to make a call.

Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!

After several rings, a voice came through the phone.

– Yo! Choi Junhyuk. What’s up? It’s rare for a busy man like you to call.

Junhyuk, likewise, spoke with a playful tone.

“Yo! Kang Cheolmin. What do you mean, ‘what’s up’? You said you don’t have a hunt today. I called because I finally got some money and thought we could have a drink, friend.”

Kang Cheolmin was someone Junhyuk had first met in high school, and they were inseparable best friends.

Like Junhyuk, both of Cheolmin’s parents had passed away early in the Great Cataclysm, and with no siblings or contact with relatives, he had endured a difficult period all alone.

Of course, even so, his situation was still better than Junhyuk’s, who had to take responsibility for two young siblings.

Then, a year ago, despite his late age, he naturally awakened as a Dealer, and his life changed completely. While he was a common Warrior class among Dealers, which presented difficulties in finding a party, he had since found a good party and was steadily increasing his standing.

Moreover, whenever he had the chance, he provided substantial financial assistance to Junhyuk, whose financial situation was not good.

When Junhyuk suggested a drink, Cheolmin’s face lit up as he replied.

– A drink? Oh! Sounds great! But are you paying?

“I told you, I finally got some money. Since you’ve treated me so many times, I’ll generously treat you to samgyeopsal today.”

– Haha! If you’re treating, then we’ll have to go all out today. Where’s the spot? The usual place?

“Okay. There, at 7 PM.”

– Alright. See you then.

Once the call ended, Junhyuk sighed with a bitter expression.

“Haa, my siblings are important, but the most urgent matter right now is Cheolmin.”

In fact, Cheolmin would die during a hunt just two days later.

Junhyuk didn’t know the full details, but he had heard that another monster had unexpectedly intervened during the hunt, leading to the entire party’s annihilation.

In the harsh world they now inhabited, Cheolmin had been his only friend with whom he could truly open up, and at the time, Junhyuk had been powerless to prevent such a futile end.

But now, things were different.

Having achieved his first objective of acquiring Copy Master, he now possessed the minimum conditions necessary to save Cheolmin.

‘If another monster’s intrusion caused the party’s annihilation, then the problem could easily be solved if there was another Tanker to deal with that monster.’

The best way to prevent Cheolmin’s death was to stop him from going on the hunt in the first place.

However, Cheolmin’s party had a very strong bond, so they rarely missed a hunt unless absolutely necessary.

The next option was to prevent the monster from intruding, which was impossible from the outset. Ultimately, the only remaining solution was to have another Tanker present to cover one of the two monsters.

Junhyuk intended to take on that role himself.

Of course, even without Cheolmin’s situation, registering as a Tanker was the optimal choice for Junhyuk.

‘From my perspective, registering as a Tanker is indeed the best option.’

Even if Junhyuk could copy the skills of all professions, he could ultimately only register one profession with the Association.

Of course, if he revealed his profession as Copy Master, like Gicheol did before his regression, that would be one thing. Otherwise, he ultimately had to choose a single profession.

Thus, he chose Tanker, which, along with Healer, was considered a noble profession.

“Well, just sitting back and healing doesn’t suit my personality anyway. More importantly, the Tanker is the party leader, right? I can decide how the party operates, so there couldn’t be a better choice.”

Specifically, the Tanker was the party leader, and since the Tanker gave orders during hunts, they could manage the party’s operations as they pleased.

This significant advantage led Junhyuk to decide on registering as an Awakened Tanker.

Although he had decided on the class to register, there were still some prerequisite issues to resolve before that.

‘Now, all that’s left is to somehow join Cheolmin’s party and copy the Tanker’s skills.’

Junhyuk planned to save Cheolmin and, incidentally, copy the skills of the Tanker who led that party.