The 7th-Run Regressor Collects Calamities - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 13. First Gate (1)
The morning after the Guild Association director’s meeting.
Song Ji-hu opened his eyes, breathing in air steeped with the smell of mold.
Through the window above the decrepit ceiling, dawn’s pale blue light filled the room.
Song Ji-hu sat up and summoned his Skill window out of habit.
[Name: Song Ji-hu]
[Level: 1]
[Skill 1: Mental Detection – Rank C] – 3.5%
[Skill 2: Mental Barrier – Rank C] – 10.7%
[Skill 3: Residual Thought – Rank C] – 8.9%
[Skill 4: Thought Projection – Rank C] – 11.3%
[Skill 5: Mental Dive – Rank EX]
His Skill Proficiency had climbed thanks to that desperate struggle in Eun Seo-jin’s Mental World, but his Level remained stubbornly at 1.
‘Which meant…’
Mental Dive would grow his Skills, but clearing Gates was what raised his Level.
“So they want me to crawl through the dirt.”
Song Ji-hu finished washing up with a bitter sigh and pulled on his worn jacket.
The moment he stepped outside, his footsteps faltered.
“Eun Seo-jin…?”
Silver hair fluttered in the dawn air. Frost gathered at the edges of his lips. It was Eun Seo-jin.
“How long have you been here?”
“I just arrived.”
His voice was flat, but the rosy tip of his nose betrayed the lie. Song Ji-hu chose not to call him on it and smiled.
“Let’s go. The schedule’s tight.”
Song Ji-hu climbed into Eun Seo-jin’s vehicle.
“Your first Gate has been assigned as a B-Rank Gate.”
“B-Rank? Not C-Rank?”
Song Ji-hu’s eyebrows shot up. For a first live operation on C-Rank, assigning B-Rank defied all convention.
Even S-Rank Hunters were typically assigned C-Rank Gates for their first deployment.
“The Guild Association wants to confirm the effectiveness of your Mental Barrier Skill. And because it’s a dangerous location where a Mental Barrier is particularly necessary… If this feels too burdensome, I can speak with the Association?”
“No… I’m fine with it. Actually, it’s better this way.”
Song Ji-hu gazed out the window and let out a soft laugh.
‘So Park Jung-ho really is transparent. Testing me on top of it all? Well, with Eun Seo-jin attached anyway…’
Under the guise of a test, it was really the Association’s way of pressing him: prove how useful you are.
“What’s the Gate’s name?”
“Fortress of the Silent Sentinel.”
Song Ji-hu’s pupils constricted slightly.
‘Ah. That Gate.’
The memory surfaced. The place notorious for Mental Contamination debuffs so vicious that even A-Rank conquest teams had taken casualties. Despite being B-Rank.
‘By now… we’ve probably failed to clear it twice already.’
***
When the vehicle arrived at its destination, a massive blue portal hovered above the desolate plains outside Uijeongbu.
[B-Rank Gate – Fortress of the Silent Sentinel]
Near the Gate’s parking area, Yoon Young-soo stood waiting, Tablet in hand, his face drawn with anxiety. When his eyes met Song Ji-hu’s, he bowed awkwardly.
“…I’ve been dispatched as an observer.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. There’s also something I need to tell you after the conquest.”
“Understood.”
After Song Ji-hu’s brief reply, a man with a brutal expression approached. Apparently the assault team leader for this operation.
“So you’re that Hunter? But… you’re really okay, yeah?”
He looked Song Ji-hu up and down, his face darkening, before turning to Yoon Young-soo.
“Even if he’s got Mental Barrier, I mean, sure, it helps us, but this is his first Gate deployment. And he’s C-Rank…”
“The thing is, the Association also…”
“No, that’s exactly the problem. Because it’s the Association. They say he’s got Mental Barrier, but what if something goes wrong and we end up taking the hit…”
Just as Yoon Young-soo was about to respond.
“Never speak carelessly again with that loose tongue of yours.”
Eun Seo-jin appeared out of nowhere, his blade pressed against the assault team leader’s throat.
“What the he—!”
“Sir, sir! Wait!”
A team member beside him went pale and grabbed the man’s arm. His gaze remained fixed on the silver-haired man standing behind Song Ji-hu.
“Why are you—let go of my hand….”
“That person! The Frost Sword Master! It’s Eun Seo-jin!”
No matter how long the gap had been, an S-Rank was an S-Rank. The moment Eun Seo-jin’s cold gaze turned toward the man, the air around them seemed to plummet below freezing in an instant.
“W-wait… how…?”
The man’s body stiffened, his eyes snapping toward Yoon Young-soo.
“You there, Guild Association staff. Why is an S-Rank Hunter here? This is a B-Rank Gate. And the Mental Contamination was clearly….”
“Oh, sir… I sent you the link yesterday. The community’s been in an uproar about it. You didn’t see it because you were drinking again, right?”
At the team member’s words, the man’s expression shifted to alarm, as if something had clicked into place. He stared blankly at Song Ji-hu.
“This is Song Ji-hu, the Hunter who possesses a Mental Barrier, acting as his guardian. As you can see, the Mental Contamination has been completely cured.”
Yoon Young-soo adjusted his glasses and answered.
“Furthermore, Song Ji-hu and Eun Seo-jin both belong to the recently established Zero Point Guild. This has been authorized as practical rehabilitation for Eun Seo-jin along with cooperative conquest. Does that answer your question?”
“Ah, I see. Zero Point….”
The raid leader’s demeanor shifted a complete one-eighty. His face broke into an ingratiating smile as he bowed repeatedly.
“My goodness, why didn’t you mention this sooner! Ha ha, it’s truly an honor to work alongside a legend! We’re counting on you, sir!”
The man retreated to the back of the formation, ducking out of sight. A faint murmur of “With an S-Rank here, what’s there to worry about?” drifted into Song Ji-hu’s ears.
“……!”
Eun Seo-jin’s eyebrows twitched. Unable to hide his displeasure, he opened his mouth to speak, but Song Ji-hu raised a hand lightly to stop him.
“Let it go.”
“But their attitude was rather disrespectful.”
“Either way, we won’t see them again after today. It’s not worth worrying about.”
Song Ji-hu’s voice was calm, but his eyes followed the raid leader’s retreating figure.
‘Word of mouth is what we need.’
Rumors spread fastest when passed from mouth to mouth—especially through someone with a loose tongue.
Hadn’t the community’s reaction been exactly like that? Real or fake, no one would believe until they saw proof with their own eyes.
In that sense, a character like that was the perfect megaphone.
It was painfully obvious that once today’s conquest was over, he’d be talking freely in some bar or on the community board.
“Everyone, please gather around. We’ll begin today’s conquest briefing.”
Yoon Young-soo stepped forward with a clearing cough.
A hologram materialized above the Tablet.
“Two B-Rank conquest teams attempted to clear this before, but both failed. So the Guild Association has upgraded the Gate’s Rank from B to A-Rank.”
The hologram displayed images of collapsed fortress walls and ghostly knights.
“The Fortress of the Silent Sentinel’s theme is a forward stronghold of a fallen ancient kingdom. Once you enter, you’re afflicted with a Debuff that binds you to defend the fortress gates until death.”
Sighs rippled through the raid team at Yoon Young-soo’s explanation.
“They’ve been repeating the act of defending the gates under orders from a king who fled centuries ago.”
“Two total wipes already… they couldn’t even flee because of the Debuff.”
“Exactly. That’s why this time we have an A-Rank raid team along with Song Ji-hu, who possesses a Mental Barrier, and of course, S-Rank Eun Seo-jin as well.”
Yoon Young-soo glanced at Song Ji-hu and Eun Seo-jin before continuing his explanation.
“Once exposed to the Debuff, hunters fall victim to groundless pressure, terror, and an obsessive compulsion to kill the enemy. And eventually….”
“Either they’re torn apart by the incoming horde, or they flee and offer their necks to the knights’ blades.”
Song Ji-hu picked up where Yoon Young-soo left off. His tone was matter-of-fact.
“There are two strategies for conquest: exterminate every single monster that pours in endlessly, or escape by any means necessary.”
Yoon Young-soo concluded the briefing.
“Once inside the dungeon, simply follow the instructions of Yu Heon-sik, our raid leader.”
“But… we do have an S-Rank Hunter.”
“The same instructions apply. Eun Seo-jin has agreed to this arrangement.”
An air of unease settled among the Hunters as they prepared to enter. Yet Song Ji-hu’s expression remained unchanged from start to finish.
“Now, everyone please collect your Body Cameras.”
Just before Gate entry, as final checks were underway, Eun Seo-jin tilted his head at Song Ji-hu’s remarkably serene reaction.
“Aren’t you… nervous?”
“Nervous? Well….”
“Not really.”
“You’re quite composed. I was full of worries when I entered my first dungeon.”
Song Ji-hu let out a soft chuckle and shrugged before turning to stare directly at Yoon Young-soo, who was preparing for Gate entry.
The moment Yoon Young-soo met Song Ji-hu’s ashen gaze, a chill ran down his spine.
“Alright! If everyone’s ready, let’s move out!”
Song Ji-hu withdrew his gaze from Yoon Young-soo and walked toward the Gate.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, understood.”
***
The moment they crossed the Gate’s threshold, blue light swallowed the world and spat it back out.
The moment Song Ji-hu’s feet crossed the threshold, a suffocating pressure seized him from all sides.
“Ugh…!”
The Hunters who had entered before him grimaced in unison the instant they stepped beyond the safe zone, their groans escaping involuntarily. It felt as though an invisible giant hand pressed down upon their entire bodies.
The air hung heavy as lead, and their chests constricted so tightly they could barely draw breath.
‘I must not flee.’
‘I must stand my ground. Even in death, I must hold this position.’
The obsession of knights who had died centuries ago permeated the entire dungeon like a poison, tormenting the Hunters.
“Wait—is this really B-Rank? The pressure is insane.”
“The safe zone feels like this? Did the Guild Association mess up the Gate measurement?”
“At this rate, this is pure A-Rank.”
The Hunters’ faces drained of color in an instant. The Debuff’s intensity far exceeded what a B-Rank dungeon should impose.
So much so that even Eun Seo-jin, an S-Rank, furrowed his brow and hesitated.
‘Is my body in this condition right now.’
Compared to the other Hunters, he was managing far better, yet his body did not respond as lightly as his mind demanded.
‘If I were at full strength, a Debuff like this would be….’
Then Song Ji-hu’s calm voice cut through.
“Wait a moment.”
Song Ji-hu closed his eyes and raised both hands lightly.
“Mental Barrier.”
A faint silver light rippled from his palms, beginning to spread outward like a wave.
Drawing concentric circles from Song Ji-hu as the center, it wrapped every surrounding Hunter in a transparent membrane, one by one.
“Huh…?”
The raid leader was the first to react. The crushing pressure that had been bearing down on them suddenly lifted.
“Whoa—! The pressure just vanished!”
“An effect this strong?”
“He’s really C-Rank? This is completely broken!”
The Hunters began chattering excitedly. They had been told he was C-Rank, yet the effect far surpassed imagination.
Once the eerie echo that had rung through their minds was cut off, light returned to the Hunters’ eyes.
The Debuff had not vanished entirely. Their limbs still felt heavy compared to normal, and their heads still rang with echoes, but the compulsion they’d felt before was gone.
“Unbelievable… one Skill covers the entire group like that?”
Yoon Young-soo was startled by the Mental Barrier’s overwhelming utility and Song Ji-hu’s Skill mastery, and began taking notes.
He needed to report every detail of what transpired in the dungeon to Park Jung-ho and prove his usefulness.
“Wait, but….”
Someone pointed toward Song Ji-hu, who was preparing for combat.
“Why doesn’t Hunter Song Ji-hu himself have a barrier?”
All eyes turned to Song Ji-hu, who was moving freely as if on a casual stroll.
As though the dungeon’s influence touched him not at all.
The 7th Return Collector of Calamities
Author
: Song Tan
Date of Publication
: July 13, 2026
Publisher
: Acesmedia Inc.
Editor-in-Chief
: Acesmedia Editorial Team
Address
: 10F Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work is published by Acesmedia Inc. in accordance with the copyright holder’s contract;
the contents may not be used in any form or manner without permission from the company and author.
This e-book is protected by copyright law, and unauthorized reproduction or duplication may result in legal liability.
UCI
: G720:N+A129-20260709064

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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