Chapter 5
The pitch-black darkness made it impossible to see even an inch ahead. Moreover, with no way to predict when or where a monster might appear, Junhyuk moved cautiously, hiding his body among nearby buildings as he advanced.
Though Junhyuk retained all his pre-regression experience and possessed the cheat-like ability of hyper-senses, his current abilities were still lacking. After finally regressing and obtaining the skills he wanted, it would be utterly devastating if a single moment of carelessness sent him crossing the River Jordan [to his death]. Thus, Junhyuk moved while carefully scanning his surroundings.
Before long, he arrived at the site where Park Kang-ho and the monsters had clashed.
“Hah!”
Junhyuk couldn’t help but gape at the spoils scattered around.
‘These are… Holy shit! Jackpot!’
Not only were there Awakening Stones—items that dropped at abysmal rates—but also four Skill Cards. The monster’s bones and hides were just bonuses; the real prize was the nine crystals lying among them—six C-grade and three B-grade. Selling just the crystals alone could set him up for life.
‘No time to waste. Gotta move fast.’
Junhyuk hurriedly began collecting the loot drops from the ground.
‘Heh heh… How much is all this worth?’
Chuckling inwardly, Junhyuk gathered the items and quickly headed toward where his truck was parked. Of course, he moved just as cautiously as before, keeping himself hidden along the way.
After scanning his surroundings, Junhyuk swiftly approached the truck and carefully opened the driver’s seat.
Clunk!
He then unlocked a hidden safe beneath the seat and stored the crystals, Skill Cards, and Awakening Stones inside. The only things left were the remaining byproducts—monster parts too bulky to fit in the small safe.
“The rest can go in the safe, but these byproducts are a problem. If I just leave them in the truck bed and someone notices… Ugh, what a headache. Tch, no choice. I’ll hide them nearby and retrieve them later.”
These weren’t just scraps from low-tier monsters but high-tier ones. If an ordinary person—not even a Hunter—was caught with high-tier monster parts, it’d spell trouble. So Junhyuk decided to stash them for now and come back later when it was safer.
The spot he chose was a convenience store across from the apartment complex—already picked clean, leaving it completely empty inside. After hiding the byproducts in a shadowy corner of the store, Junhyuk hurried back to an abandoned apartment building to rest.
“Can’t drive the truck at this hour… Guess I’ll have to camp here overnight.”
The night was eerily silent—not even a single cricket chirped. Driving now would only draw attention with all that noise, attracting every monster in the vicinity. There were plenty of monsters faster than his truck; even if he somehow made it to a safe zone, no one would let him inside with a horde trailing behind him.
Better to wait until morning when Hunters ventured out to hunt—then slip away unnoticed while they distracted any threats.
Once he settled on staying put for the night, exhaustion slowly crept over him. Maybe that was why his eyelids grew heavy without him realizing…
Morning arrived before he knew it. Hunters began trickling out into Haengsin-dong for their hunts while Junhyuk—already awake—loaded prepped appliances into his truck.
“Speaking of which… Once I get back, I should register as an Awakener ASAP. That’s the only way I can sell these Awakening Stones and Skill Cards.”
The appliances weren’t strictly necessary to take back—partly to throw off suspicion but also because they could be sold immediately for cash.
Normally, registering as an Awakener took about three days: testing followed by waiting for certification. Only then could he access specialized sites for buying and selling Awakener-exclusive items like these—and even then, sales took anywhere from one to three more days after listing them.
In short? He’d be twiddling his thumbs for four or five days minimum before seeing any profit from those items.
The appliances? Cash on delivery—no waiting required when money was tight already; no reason not to take what he found.
“Tch… The real issue is these crystals… Sigh… If only I could sell them now—life would be so much easier… But no such luck.”
Selling low-tier monster crystals post-registration could be handwaved somehow… But high-tier ones? The kind that required hundreds of Hunters working together just to take down one?
If Junhyuk tried selling those now, both government agencies and Awakener associations would demand explanations about how exactly he came across them—and worst-case scenario? They might confiscate everything without paying full price. Until he had enough power under his belt, it was best to keep quiet about this stash.
“Well, nothing I can do. Even if I just sell the other stuff at full price, money won’t be an issue.”
As Junhyuk finished loading the appliances into his truck and prepared to leave—
Vrooom!
A familiar truck entered the apartment complex.
“Hm? Oh! Brother Kicheol?”
It was the truck of Kicheol, leader of the Hyena team Junhyuk belonged to—the original owner who should’ve possessed the Copy Master skill.
When the truck stopped and Kicheol stepped out, Junhyuk approached with a smile.
“Brother!”
Kicheol, however, looked thoroughly flustered at the sight of him.
‘Shit! Why’s this punk here?’
He’d assumed no one would be around, only to find Junhyuk standing there like a rock.
“Huh? J-Junhyuk? Why are you here?”
Junhyuk scratched his head sheepishly.
“Haha, truth is, I lost track of time working yesterday and ended up staying the night here.”
Kicheol’s face twisted in disbelief at the idea of someone spending the night in a danger zone.
“What? You stayed here overnight? You’ve got a death wish, you idiot! I told you to come back with us! You’re lucky you’re alive—what if a monster showed up?!”
Junhyuk chuckled awkwardly under Kicheol’s scolding.
“I tried to leave late, but a monster popped up… Got stuck. Anyway, I’m fine. Plus, I hit the jackpot. Haha!”
He feigned a triumphant expression, as if he’d stumbled upon the loot by chance.
Kicheol’s face briefly soured as he peeked at the truck’s cargo.
‘Ah! Damn it. If I’d stayed behind yesterday, all that could’ve been mine… Ugh.’
Though bitter, Kicheol quickly masked his expression.
“Ah! This’ll fetch a pretty penny! Haha. At least the risk paid off.”
His words were light, but inwardly, his stomach churned at the thought of what could’ve been his.
Junhyuk tilted his head curiously.
“By the way, why are you here, Brother? Today’s not a work day.”
Kicheol floundered for an excuse.
“Oh! Haha, well… Jeongtae kept saying someone might be looting here behind our backs. Came to check it out.”
Junhyuk saw through the flimsy lie but kept his smile intact.
‘Tch. Probably hid some useful stuff here himself. Not like I can judge—pot calling the kettle black.’
After all, Junhyuk had also secretly hoarded items during this period.
“Ah, really? That’s our leader for you. Haha. I’d stay longer, but I didn’t sleep well last night. The tension of being in a danger zone, you know? I should head back first.”
In truth, he’d slept soundly and wasn’t tired at all. But he needed to handle urgent matters—and his siblings were surely worried after his absence.
Kicheol brightened at Junhyuk’s words.
“Oh! Right, right. Those dark circles under your eyes are no joke. Get some rest. I’ll stick around a bit longer.”
Junhyuk nodded and climbed into his truck.
“Yes. I’ll go ahead then. Oh, and Brother… Sorry.”
Kicheol blinked at the sudden apology.
“Huh? Sorry for what?”
“Haha, just… stuff.”
Though Junhyuk had stolen what should’ve been Kicheol’s ability, the man wasn’t entirely bad—he’d helped Junhyuk during tough times. This apology, however hollow, was the least he could offer.
“Pfft. Brat. Get going.”
“Yes. See you.”
With that, Junhyuk left the ruined apartment complex behind, heading toward the safe zone.
An impossibly long wall stretched into the distance, encircling the Seoul Area.
Though called the Seoul Area, it wasn’t the entire city—monsters controlled everything south of the Han River. The wall enclosed only northern Seoul, still vast but a shadow of its former self.
After passing through the gates, Junhyuk soon arrived at a trading post near the entrance—a fence for goods looted by Hyenas like him.
The manager looked over the truck’s contents and whistled.
“Hey, Junhyuk. Got guts, spending the night out there. These are decent finds—worth the risk, eh?”
Junhyuk smirked.
“Guess so.”
The manager had been friendly even before Junhyuk’s regression—though their contact broke off after Junhyuk was wrongly imprisoned for theft.
“Oh, your siblings are in the office. Been here since dawn, driving me nuts with their whining.”
They’d likely come worried when he didn’t return last night.
“Huh? My siblings?”
“Yeah. Shouldn’t pull stunts that worry kids. Anyway, I’ll handle the estimates. Go calm them down—they’ve been crying nonstop.”
“Sorry for the trouble. Haha.”
The manager waved him off.
“Just go.”
As Junhyuk turned toward the office—
“Oppa!”
“Hyung!”
Eight-year-old Euncheol and ten-year-old Eunjung sprinted toward him.
“Waaah! Why’d you come so late?!”
Euncheol bawled into Junhyuk’s chest while Eunjung timidly clutched his sleeve.
