Chapter 29
About 1 hour and 20 minutes had passed since Junhyuk began hunting the virtual Zerus.
"Grooooooaaar!"
Finally, the virtual Zerus dispersed into a cluster of white light.
"1 hour and 20 minutes... That's too slow."
What exactly was "too slow" about it?
Even with a full party, Zerus typically required over 3 hours to hunt. Yet Junhyuk had achieved the miraculous feat of soloing it in just 1 hour and 20 minutes.
But Junhyuk wasn’t satisfied.
"If other nearby monsters swarm us, I need to finish within 30 minutes at most."
Solo play would mean hunting during the deserted early morning hours—surrounded solely by monsters.
Even accounting for distance between creatures, combat noise in the quiet night risked attracting others. After weighing these factors, he concluded hunts must be completed within 30 minutes.
"Will raising my core level boost combat power? Let’s test it. Subspace Open!"
Junhyuk hastily opened his subspace and retrieved all crystals. Five C-grade and three B-grade crystals lay on the desk (excluding one used to unseal his bracelet). After storing two C-grades for future accessory unsealing, he activated a skill with another C-grade crystal.
"Crystal Absorption!"
Mechanical tones echoed in his mind as a notification appeared:
[C-grade crystal detected. Absorb to raise core level? [Yes/No]]
"Yes!"
A cascade of alerts followed:
[C-grade crystal absorbed]
[Core level increased]
...
The notifications continued relentlessly—unsurprising for a C-grade crystal worth over 2 billion won each. Only their unsellable status let him use them without hesitation.
"Status Open!"
User: Choi Junhyuk [1st Awakening]
Age: 22
Class: Copy Master
System: Second Original
[Status]
STR:30+[100] VIT:30+[100] AGI:50+[100]
END:30+[100] DEX:26+[100]
Bonus Points:100
ATK:200+[1000] DEF:200+[1000]
HP:15300+[10000] Force:5000+[7000][20000][1/s recovery]
Core[Lv.21] -EXP[47%]
Force Recharge Points +22000
20% reduced Force consumption
30% increased skill efficiency
Grade-based info access enabled
Level up via Crystal Absorption
The core had leaped 20 levels to Lv.21, granting +5 bonus points per level (total +100). Force recharge increased by +100 per level (+2000 total), while consumption and efficiency improved by 0.5% each per level (+10% total).
"Twenty levels at once... C-grade’s no joke."
He absorbed the remaining crystals—three C-grade and three B-grade—achieving staggering growth. His core surged to Lv.73 (+72 total) with +360 bonus points and massively boosted stats.
After distributing points evenly (AGI:120, others:100), his updated status flared:
[Status]
STR:100+[100] VIT:100+[100] AGI:120+[100]
END:100+[100] DEX:100+[100]
Bonus Points:4
ATK:900+[1000] DEF:900+[1000]
HP:22300+[10000] Force:5000+[7000][27200][1/s recovery]
Core[Lv.73] -EXP[22%]
Force Recharge Points +27200
46% reduced Force consumption
56% increased skill efficiency
The changes were visceral—raw power thrummed through his veins.
"With all crystals spent, I’d better clear it in under 40 minutes now. Ideally 30."
Junhyuk exited the training center radiant—having achieved a 36-minute clear post-upgrade. Solo hunting Zerus in 36 minutes defied logic; even S-rank Awakeners might fail this.
Yet at home, he remained just an ordinary older brother.
Click
"Hyung!" His younger brother Euncheol barreled into him.
"Why so late?"
"Work stuff. Did you wait long?"
"Yes! Let’s eat chicken!"
"Chicken?"
"Changsuhyung bought some! But Noonah said to wait for you!"
Junhyuk’s nose prickled—he’d told them to eat first hours ago. Eunjeong murmured nervously, "We... wanted to eat together."
"Let’s eat, then," he said, smiling faintly at the cold chicken. Watching Euncheol joyfully gnaw a soggy drumstick, Junhyuk’s expression soured.
I should’ve cared more...
He’d vowed to prioritize his siblings after returning, yet growth-obsession had blinded him.
Get it together, Junhyuk. You didn’t regress just to neglect what matters.
"Stop! Drop the chicken. We’re going out."
Euncheol’s pout vanished. "Really? Where? Noonah, pick a place!"
Past midnight, Junhyuk teleported to a monster-zone rooftop—a pitch-black wasteland devoid of electricity. Donning night-vision goggles, he raced to Novice Preservation Base Camp, arriving in 10 minutes via Speed Master passive.
"Mapping."
The 3D display highlighted a solitary red dot. "As long as it’s not a True Decker... A Mantis would be perfect."
True Deckers could take over an hour even for him, but Mantises—despite their agility—had lower HP than Zerus. To Junhyuk’s heightened senses, their speed meant little.
Approaching stealthily, he halted at sniper range.
"Force Weapon. Bow Summon."
A luminous bow materialized. He nocked a glowing arrow.
"Snipe Shot!"
Twang!
The arrow shrieked through the air—Shreeeeek! Boom!—heralding Junhyuk’s true solo ascent.
