Chapter 41
Cha Jin-soo made a pained expression at the incomprehensible words. "W-what the hell... cough!"
"You wouldn’t understand even if I explained," Jun-hyeok said while raising his dagger again. "Just accept it. What’s life anyway? You just live until it’s time to go."
"S-save me!" Cha Jin-soo pleaded desperately, his voice urgent. "I’ll give you everything I’ve... cough cough... gathered!"
For over three years as a villain, he’d killed countless Awakened and amassed considerable wealth from their loot—equipment, crystals, awakening stones—all converted to cash. But what use was wealth to a dead man?
Jun-hyeok smirked at his desperate expression. "Ah! The things hidden in Room 201 of XX Villa in Ahyeon-dong? Don’t worry. I’ll take care of them whether you tell me or not."
Cha Jin-soo’s face twisted in confusion. "H-how...?"
"How? You blabbed about it yourself," Jun-hyeok chuckled darkly.
This made no sense. Cha Jin-soo had arrived in Seoul just two days ago with no acquaintances. Yet Jun-hyeok spoke as if he’d personally boasted about the location. Before he could process this, Jun-hyeok grabbed his collar and dragged him toward the window.
"Rather than dirty my hands..."
Outside, a Zeroth still prowled. "Y-you madman! cough What are you—"
With the might of his 100 Strength stat, Jun-hyeok hurled Cha Jin-soo across eight lanes of traffic directly before the roaring monster.
"Damn it..." were his final words before the Zeroth’s brutal attacks crushed him.
Jun-hyeok watched contentedly. "Farewell, Cha Jin-soo. May you be reborn as a cockroach and live long."
After changing clothes, Jun-hyeok headed to the Ahyeon-dong villa, using a mask, deep hood, and Cloaking skill to evade CCTV. He disabled the cameras and summoned his Force Weapon—a longsword that sliced through the metal door like tofu.
The room overflowed with scattered gear ranging from C-grade to A-grade. "A proper treasure vault," he murmured, storing everything in his pocket dimension.
Suddenly, his bracelet vibrated. "Resonance? Is another set piece here?" Following the pulses led him to a ring—the Ring of Dawn, one of Master Original’s 101 Artifacts.
After buying meat and Exciter solution, Jun-hyeok visited the fourth-floor grandmother.
"We’re moving," he said after handing her the meat. "Would you like to join us?"
Granny refused warmly: "I’ll stay in my own home. You go live well."
At home, Jun-hyeok unsealed the ring. As he drew Force patterns, light flooded the room before revealing the ornate band.
The system announced:
[39th Artifact Unlocked!]
[Ring of Dawn registered]
[17 Artifacts now registered]
Stats flashed:
HP +10,000
HP Regen +1/sec
Defense +300
[Core Options]
All Stats +100
Force +2,000
Active Skill: [AOE Shield]
[Set Artifacts]
Necklace of Dusk
Bracelet of Twilight
"Defensive specs this time? With 10K HP and regen, I’m practically zombie-tier," Jun-hyeok marveled. The staggering stats impressed him, but the AOE Shield skill intrigued him most.
