The 7th-Run Regressor Collects Calamities - Chapter 17

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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 17. Guild Office (1)
The apartment assigned to Song Ji-hu was a sixty-story ultra-luxury residential complex located in the heart of Gangnam.
True to its name as an S-Rank exclusive, the security system was exceptional—biometric recognition at the underground parking entrance, Hunter guards stationed around the clock.
One might wonder if such security was necessary, but its purpose wasn’t to protect the Hunters inside; it was to prevent external intruders from breaching the perimeter.
Following Yoon Young-su’s guidance to the fifty-seventh floor, Song Ji-hu spotted two doors aligned neatly at the end of a spacious corridor.
Units 5701 and 5702.
“This is Hunter Song Ji-hu’s residence, and that one belongs to Hunter Eun Seo-jin.”
As Yoon Young-su swiped his card to unlock the door, Song Ji-hu stepped inside and surveyed the space.
Every room—kitchen, study, bedroom—was expansive.
The living room alone appeared five or six times larger than the studio he currently occupied, and through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Seoul’s skyline unfurled in a single sweeping view.
Yet Song Ji-hu’s gaze settled not on the lavish interior.
“There’s a direct connection to a private training facility in the basement. The rooftop has a helipad, and in an emergency, you can reach any major Seoul checkpoint within fifteen minutes. And the Association headquarters is only a five-minute walk from here.”
It wasn’t simply an expensive, well-designed residence. Its true value lay in how perfectly it functioned as an optimal tactical command center.
“Does it suit you?”
Yoon Young-su asked carefully, his expression tense.
“Yes. It’s fine.”
“If there are any belongings you’d like to bring from your previous residence, please let me know. I’ll handle everything.”
Song Ji-hu shook his head.
“There’s not much to bring, but I’ll pack it myself. I’d appreciate borrowing a car, though.”
“No, no! I’ll drive you!”
Yoon Young-su’s response came remarkably fast. His intentions were transparent in the gleam behind his glasses.
“Then I’ll take you up on that.”
The moment Song Ji-hu agreed, Yoon Young-su broke into a wide smile and led him toward the underground parking garage.
“I’ll come along as well.”
Eun Seo-jin, who had just finished touring her own new residence, joined them.
“It’s not as if I’m moving with much—nothing like a typical relocation.”
“Still, we’re members of the same guild, aren’t we?”
“That’s right. And Song Ji-hu is the guild master.”
With Eun Seo-jin’s arrival, Song Ji-hu merely shrugged and laughed it off.
***
At the same moment. The Association Chairman’s office.
Park Jung-ho, having listened to Yoon Young-su’s report, was now hearing the recorded conversation for the third time.
— And… the Mental Contamination levels of the Hunters who cleared the dungeon with him have decreased.
Each time he listened to that recording, his temples throbbed.
“Hah…”
Park Jung-ho pressed his palms against his face in a gesture of dry washing.
Mental Contamination Purification. That ability alone was a bomb capable of upending the power structure of the entire world.
He’d been losing sleep trying to figure out how to safely contain that bomb within its fence.
And now it seemed that merely clearing a dungeon together would reduce contamination levels.
Combat ability exceeding C-Rank, tactical judgment, command, the capacity to overcome special mechanics—honestly, none of that surprised or interested him.
Because those weren’t factors that affected him directly.
‘The cunning bastard.’
Park Jung-ho’s jaw clenched tight.
“He could have hidden it all. Or rather, he should have hidden it.”
For an ordinary Hunter, there’d be no reason to flaunt every ability so openly on his first dungeon run.
Yet Song Ji-hu had chosen to display it anyway.
With Yoon Young-su watching, with the body camera rolling.
The message was unmistakable.
‘See my value clearly. And don’t even think of crossing me.’
And the fact that he’d shown this much on his first dungeon meant there were abilities yet unrevealed.
“…What more could I possibly do for him?”
A sigh escaped at Song Ji-hu’s barely concealed warning not to probe too deeply.
He’d provided an apartment. Approved the guild establishment. Even attached core Association personnel.
Was that enough?
No—clearly insufficient. A man with that level of ability wouldn’t be moved by a mere apartment.
‘To him, it’s not a favor—just an expected investment.’
Park Jung-ho leaned his head back against the chair and gazed at the ceiling.
What more could he offer to keep this monster within South Korea’s borders?
Or did a way to do so even exist?
No matter how long he pondered, an answer wouldn’t come.
“Another disaster’s brewing… damn it all.”
***
While Song Ji-hu settled into his new apartment with only a handful of belongings, the internet—exactly as everyone had predicted—was burning.
The first to strike the match was Yu Heon-sik, just as Song Ji-hu had foreseen.
In the group chat he belonged to and across Hunter-exclusive forums alike.
What spilled from Yu Heon-sik’s lips after a drink or two spread like wildfire across a dried field.
[[VERIFIED] Cleared a dungeon today with the Song Ji-hu from that recent uproar]
[Author: 30-Year Tank Main / Views: 16,397,230]
[Just got back from the Silent Sentinel Fortress. Yeah, that’s the gate that failed twice. Bottom line: we cleared it.
It was Song Ji-hu’s first gate ever, and Eun Seo-jin came along too. She’s definitely healed—I checked. Apparently they both founded a guild called Zero Point.
But that’s not the important part. Summary below.
1. Mental Barrier. Debuffs drop significantly. The suppression pressure felt almost completely absent.
2. His ability is insane. This isn’t a Hunter who just awakened recently—he moves like a veteran who’s been in the field for ten years. Psychic-type, but his swordwork is sharp too, and his command is excellent.
3. Most important: we went into one dungeon together, came back out, and the dungeon’s Contamination Level dropped. Just by 1, but it definitely dropped. I’m posting proof below.]
ㄴ Yu Heon-sik posted this himself? First time I’ve seen him write something like this
ㄴ ???????
ㄴ Mental Contamination decreased? Just from running the dungeon together?
ㄴ No, but… it really did drop. By 1, though.
ㄴ You sure you weren’t scammed?
ㄴ Don’t feed the troll.
While everyone was still throwing up question marks, verification posts from the other Hunters who’d participated in that clear started rolling in one after another.
[[VERIFIED] I ran it too. Everything Yu Heon-sik said is true.]
[Author: Anonymous Hunter / Views: 15,129,880]
[First, the clear wasn’t about annihilating enemies. It was a special dungeon, and Song Ji-hu figured it out solo, then solved it with Eun Seo-jin. And my Contamination Level dropped by 1 too.
Everyone knows that running dungeons always increases or maintains your level. But I checked with the device three times and even went to the hospital—it definitely decreased.
Sure, some people didn’t see a drop. But some of us did.]
The thread of comments that had been roiling under Yu Heon-sik’s post came to an abrupt halt.
Then it exploded.
ㄴ No way?
ㄴ If this is real, every contaminated Hunter’s gonna flood in.
ㄴ I mean, I didn’t even believe the rumors about Eun Seo-jin being fully healed, and now this?
ㄴ See? Eun Seo-jin’s healing is real!
ㄴ But be serious. You can’t just shatter a lifelong assumption that easily, can you?
ㄴ If it’s confirmed to decrease—not delay—the game’s over. That’s something Emilia Jones couldn’t do.
The global Hunter opinion that had been ablaze with news of Eun Seo-jin’s recovery was now completely out of control.
ㄴ Why hasn’t the Association made a statement?
ㄴ Shouldn’t something like this be announced right away?
ㄴ Zero Point? I heard they don’t even recruit.
ㄴ Is the Association deliberately holding back the announcement to keep it exclusive?
The fire that started in Korea crossed borders in an instant. Ever since the incident with Eun Seo-jin, the world had been watching the Korean Hunter community.
The posts were translated in real time and spread across Hunter communities worldwide—America, Japan, Europe, China, everywhere.
[Breaking News : Korean Hunter ‘Song Ji-hu’ Can Purify Mental Contamination During Battle.]
[速報: 韓国のC級ハンター、ダンジョン同行だけで汚染度減少の可能性]
Posts in dozens of languages poured in. And two names repeated at the center of it all.
Song Ji-hu and Zero Point.
Hunter Associations across the world began sending official inquiries to the Korean Association for verification, and some of the largest guilds were already dispatching private jets before any official word came down.
Twenty years since the first Gate opened.
The hope that Mental Contamination could be cured spread faster than fear.
***
Deep into the night.
Song Ji-hu stood at the window of his living room with all the lights off, gazing out at the city below.
The nightscape of Seoul beyond the glass was brilliant. In one corner of the living room sat the few belongings he’d brought from his old studio apartment.
What he’d brought was sparse. A few changes of clothes, some framed photos, and scattered odds and ends. That was everything Song Ji-hu owned.
Standing by the window, Song Ji-hu fingered the Compass in his pocket.
He felt the cold, solid touch of metal, and the needle lay still.
Ding—
His phone alarm chimed, and Song Ji-hu pulled it out to check the message.
[Yoon Young-su: I’ve organized the community and international Hunter sentiment trends. I’d say the news about Mental Contamination has already spread worldwide.]
[Yoon Young-su: The whole world is watching now, and word has it several guilds are already on their way to Korea. We’ll need a response strategy and direction for the guild going forward.]
Seeing that Eun Seo-jin was copied on the message, Song Ji-hu let out a quiet chuckle and opened his calendar.
Six days remained until March 21st.
His seventh life had begun far more dynamically than the rest.
Mental Dive, Ryu Jin, Eun Seo-jin, the Association—everything had shifted.
Now that he’d gained Eun Seo-jin as his sword, it was time to find his shield.
The man who’d gone mad rampaging four times across six previous lives, his soul harvested each time.
He had to save Im Jae-hyeok, the tank Song Ji-hu trusted most.
“But there’s so much to handle before that….”
Song Ji-hu switched off his phone screen and sprawled across the sofa.
***
The morning after clearing the Gate.
Song Ji-hu found himself blessed with a leisurely morning thanks to the iron-clad rule that any Hunter who entered a Gate must observe a minimum of twenty-four hours of Mandatory Rest.
Of course, the regulation meant nothing to him, but rules were rules.
“There’s something I need to talk about, though.”
While making it look like he was reluctantly bringing it up, no less.
When he rode the elevator down to the apartment lobby right on schedule, Yoon Young-su was already waiting in front of the vehicle.
“Good morning! Hunter Song Ji-hu, Hunter Eun Seo-jin.”
He looked just as he had yesterday—crisp suit, tablet in hand, briefcase and all.
As Yoon Young-su bowed, Eun Seo-jin gave a small nod from half a step behind.
Once all three were seated in the vehicle, Yoon Young-su handed the tablet to Song Ji-hu in the back seat before starting the car.
“There are two matters on today’s agenda. First, the selection of a guild office location. Second, pre-registration for the C-Rank dungeon scheduled for tomorrow.”
Song Ji-hu nodded as he studied the map.
“I’ll handle the dungeon registration.”
Eun Seo-jin pulled out her phone, and Song Ji-hu gave a quick nod of approval.
“Go ahead. That Gate we talked about yesterday.”
Eun Seo-jin nodded at his brief consent, and Yoon Young-su moved straight into the main topic.
“Regarding the guild office. The Association President has granted special approval. We’ve compiled a list of A-grade office buildings in the Gangnam and Yeouido areas.”
There was quiet pride in Yoon Young-su’s voice. The screen displayed a row of photos—gleaming glass-fronted towers and sleekly appointed offices.
“I’ve selected only the most premium locations. Property number one is a five-minute walk from the Association building. It’s in the thirty-pyeong range with a dedicated parking lot and top-tier security system. Currently several guilds operate out of that building.”
Yoon Young-su laid out the pros and cons of each location without hesitation.
Like a capable administrator, everything was neatly organized—market rates, accessibility, security grades and all.
Song Ji-hu skimmed through the tablet while listening to Yoon Young-su’s explanation, then set it aside with a soft tap.
“It’s a decent property, but… it’s too crowded, cramped, and expensive.”
It wasn’t what Song Ji-hu was looking for.
“Is there somewhere specific you had in mind….”
Song Ji-hu studied the map for a moment, then spoke slowly.
“I do have a place I’ve been thinking about….”
Though it would likely be somewhere quite different from what Yoon Young-su had in mind.
The Seventh Returner Collects Calamities
Author
: Song Tan
Production Date
: July 13, 2026
Publisher
: Aces Media Co., Ltd.
Editor-in-Chief
: Aces Media Editorial Team
Address
: 10F Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work has been published by Aces Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder.
No part of this content may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
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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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