The 7th-Run Regressor Collects Calamities - Chapter 36

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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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Episode 36. The Incheon Gate (9)
While cleanup efforts were underway, news of the Gate clear had already consumed the headlines of every major news outlet across the globe.
[BREAKING: Incheon A-Rank Mutation Labyrinth cleared in less than two days! The miracle of zero casualties!]
[An unprecedented perfect clear. Korean Hunter society stands at the center of the world.]
[USAA elite ten participate. Was Song Jihoo’s ‘Mental Barrier’ the magic that made this possible?]
The problem was that Park Jeongho had reinforced the control perimeter, making it impossible for journalists to interview the Hunters directly as soon as the clear was announced.
“When are they coming out?”
“Seriously. Man… why’d he suddenly pull the perimeter back like that?”
“I heard the Association Chairman made some huge mistake. Is that true?”
“What mistake?”
“Ehehe… obviously it’s classified. If our exclusive drops, the others’ll just plagiarize it.”
As a result, the journalists were gnashing their teeth, broadcasting only the footage shot from a distance and the Association’s official briefing on endless repeat.
“There! There they are! Get it, shoot over there!”
Before the Hunters emerged from the tent with all their loot divided and gear collected, every last one of them bowed their head as they passed Song Jihoo.
“Hunter Song Jihoo. I hope I can work with you again next time.”
“I owe you so much. Truly.”
“I’ll never forget what you did for us today.”
Song Jihoo accepted their gratitude with a measured calm. A slight lift at the corners of his mouth and a light clasp of their hands was all that was necessary.
“Those requiring hospital transport should board the Association vehicles in the parking area!”
The wounded made their way to the hospital, while uninjured Hunters walked past the control perimeter, each departing their own way.
“Just one word, please!”
“What happened inside?”
As if they’d been waiting for just this moment, journalists beyond the barrier thrust microphones at the departing Hunters.
Though it seemed likely they’d receive no substantial answers given the Association’s control, the Hunters’ lips opened far more easily than expected.
“We only cleared this because of Hunter Song Jihoo.”
“If it weren’t for Hunter Song Jihoo, we’d all be dead.”
“He’d figured out all the Labyrinth patterns. I don’t know how he managed it, but he had.”
“The next raid? If Hunter Song calls, I’ll run without asking for pay. I really mean it.”
No matter which Hunter the microphone was thrust toward, Song Jihoo’s name spilled out as if by prior agreement. From every single Hunter passing by.
A certain realization was beginning to take shape in the consciousness of Korea’s Hunters through the process of clearing this Dungeon.
If Song Jihoo were to leave Korea for another country, or somewhere like the USAA, they would lose even opportunities like this.
Everything they had experienced in the Labyrinth was a privilege available only while Song Jihoo remained in Korea.
“Song Jihoo is a treasure of Korea.”
“Moreover, he’s incredibly generous.”
“Song Jihoo is a figure who must stay in Korea.”
In front of the journalists’ microphones, the Hunters began speaking in increasingly fervent tones, praising Song Jihoo.
Thus, a silent agreement was forming.
By whatever means necessary, bind Song Jihoo to Korea.
***
And just as interviews were beginning in earnest, internet communities were filled with speculation and excitement.
[Did you see the expressions on those Korean Hunters’ faces walking out? Even after clearing a Gate, I’ve never seen them smile like that.]
[Why are the USAA bastards keeping their mouths shut? Someone say something. I’m dying to know.]
[Don’t tell me our guy Song Jihoo carried the whole thing again?]
[How is it possible to have zero deaths at an A-Rank Mutation Gate? Just looking at recent Mutation Dungeons, Japan had five deaths in a B-Rank Mutation.]
[Wait, articles are coming in. It’s all praise for Song Jihoo? So he did something again.]
Yoon Youngsu, scrolling through community sentiment, started the vehicle’s engine as Song Jihoo emerged.
“Ah, you’re out. I assume you’re heading straight home?”
“Of course.”
The moment Song Jihoo and Eun Seojin, having stowed their gear, began walking toward the vehicle—
hundreds of journalists who had been waiting at the scene broke through the barricades and swarmed toward them.
“Hunter Song Jihoo-!”
“Wait! Just one word, please!”
Camera shutters went off relentlessly, and dozens of microphones were shoved toward Song Jihoo.
“Hunter Song Jihoo! There’s testimony that you contributed significantly to combat beyond your Mental Barrier skill—is this true?”
“Hunter Song Jihoo! What other skills do you possess besides the Mental Barrier?”
“What are your plans for utilizing your Mental Pollution Healing ability going forward?”
“Who will be your next patient?”
“There’s underground chatter that negotiations with the USAA have concluded. Please comment!”
“Do you plan to stay in Korea?! Do you have any immigration plans?!”
Questions poured out all at once, a torrent impossible to distinguish or address individually.
“Hmm….”
Song Jihoo stopped before the car door. He turned his head briefly, fixing his gaze directly on the cameras trained upon him.
Despite the countless lenses pointed his way, his eyes betrayed no excitement, no tremor of intimidation—no emotion at all.
“Zero Point.”
As the clamor died down, Song Jihoo’s lips parted.
“I’ve established a guild.”
His voice was quiet. Yet every microphone captured it with perfect clarity.
“Moving forward, all my official statements and positions will be released through that channel alone.”
With that announcement, Song Jihoo slipped into the rear seat without a trace of hesitation.
Bang—
“Wait, just a moment, Hunter—!”
“Zero Point? Who are the guild members? Just one more word—!”
The reporters thrust their microphones closer, but the vehicle pulled away slowly.
***
The journalists scuffed their heels against the indifferent asphalt.
“That’s all the comment we’re getting?”
“There’s not enough material. How am I supposed to write a story from that….”
Groans rippled through the crowd, yet not a single journalist dared to press further or challenge Song Jihoo’s demeanor.
In an age when a hunter’s raw power equated to national prestige, mishandling your pen before the world’s only practitioner of Mental Pollution Healing was a gamble that could cost your media outlet its standing.
Then.
The flap of a temporary tent within the cordon swept aside, and a man stepped into the camera’s frame.
Rick Wesley, Guild Master of USAA.
“Guild Master of USAA! A word, please!”
“How did USAA perform at this Mutation Gate?”
Dozens of microphones that had lost their purpose swung toward him in unison, and Rick Wesley positioned himself naturally before the cameras.
“Korea is a blessed nation.”
The reporters immediately began transcribing the keyword.
“Simply by possessing the one and only Song Jihoo in the entire world, there is scarcely need for further elaboration.”
The eyes of seasoned journalists, practiced in reading the poison between the lines, gleamed.
The head of the world’s number one guild had singled out a specific individual—Song Jihoo, a hunter from another nation—and called his country blessed.
“USAA intends to maintain close ties with Hunter Song Jihoo going forward. We already have rotational placements of our hunters scheduled, and they will work alongside Hunter Song Jihoo.”
The reporters’ expressions turned knowing. This was, in effect, a warning: USAA backs Song Jihoo, so touch him at your peril.
And it had come straight from the head of the world’s premier guild, uttered before all their cameras.
“Oh, and another thing.”
Rick Wesley added the remark as if it had just occurred to him.
“Our policy is not to disclose the terms USAA proposed to Hunter Song Jihoo, but….”
The hands of the microphone-wielding reporters tensed.
“Let me give you a small hint here. A signing bonus of ten billion dollars was flatly refused. Beyond that, all manner of extraordinary provisions—Hunter Song Jihoo declined most of them out of devotion to his principles.”
The journalists’ pens froze. Then they began moving rapidly again.
USAA had offered Song Jihoo a sum of ten billion dollars. That is, over thirteen trillion won.
Rick Wesley had deliberately let that figure slip—along with the addendum that most of the package had been declined.
Rick Wesley’s calculation was sharp.
‘The warning is certainly delivered.’
Song Jihoo appeared to lack ambition, so there was a high probability that every two-bit operator would flock to him. Minor guilds, capitalists, political factions—all would attempt to approach him.
‘USAA just burned ten billion dollars.’
It was the masterstroke to bar them all at once.
In short, it was a guideline: any faction unable to mobilize at least thirteen trillion won in liquid capital should not even offer their calling card. If anyone wished to propose something to Song Jihoo, they would do well not to embarrass USAA in the process.
It was deft media strategy.
Trembling with excitement, the journalists clutched their shaking hands and began filing breaking news.
[USAA Offered Song Jihoo Ten Billion Dollars. Flatly Refused.]
[Song Jihoo Turns Down Thirteen Trillion Won—Why?]
[USAA Guild Master: “Korea Is a Blessed Nation”]
Online opinion began to boil like lava.
***
“Back to the tent.”
Rick Wesley finished the interview and returned to the temporary pavilion. A satisfied smile played across his lips.
Marcus, who had been delivering his report alongside him, set it aside to greet him.
“Did the press leak go well, sir?”
“Perfectly.”
Rick sank deep into a folding chair and loosened his necktie.
“This will shake loose all the minor players circling Song Jihoo. We’ll be the ones setting the terms of negotiation.”
Marcus nodded with a smile.
“And we’ll know exactly where any approach is coming from.”
If they were to become allies, let it be decisive ones.
That was Rick Wesley’s way.
***
At that same moment, the car carrying Song Jihoo had already left Incheon behind and was entering Seoul’s access roads.
With the Dungeon cleared, traffic restrictions had been lifted and the roads returned to normal. The afternoon traffic flowed past the window in an ordinary rhythm.
Song Jihoo, sunk deep into the back seat, tilted his head slowly toward the car window.
Exhaustion had claimed him. Or perhaps it was simply the amount of blood he’d lost in the Dungeon.
His breathing deepened, then gradually stilled. He was nearly asleep now.
Eun Seojin, sitting in the front passenger seat, checked Song Jihoo’s peaceful face through the rearview mirror.
“…He’s asleep.”
Yoon Youngsu, at the wheel, glanced at the back seat through the side mirror. Then he turned his gaze back to the road.
As a toll gate sign announcing Seoul’s entrance slipped past, Yoon Youngsu broke the silence, speaking carefully and low.
“…What was the situation like inside the Dungeon?”
Eun Seojin didn’t answer immediately. As the landscape outside the window drifted slowly past, scenes from inside the Dungeon replayed through his mind.
“…It seems our Guild Master requires our careful protection.”
Yoon Youngsu’s brow furrowed at Eun Seojin’s words.
“He neglects his own welfare to an excessive degree.”
Beneath the low, measured tone lay a deep concern.
“He could afford to be more self-interested—that much is certain. Yet he took the smallest share for himself. He charged into danger without hesitation, and in the end, he placed his own needs dead last.”
Eun Seojin’s assessment was accurate. It was something Yoon Youngsu had dimly sensed all along.
Weapons, armor, rewards, even basic sleep—everything for himself was always pushed to the very back.
“If he won’t look after himself,”
Eun Seojin’s voice took on a firm edge.
“then those of us at his side must force the matter.”
Yoon Youngsu nodded slowly.
“…Yes. That’s how it should be.”
A heavy silence settled over the car. Eun Seojin turned slightly to face Yoon Youngsu.
“The Guild’s affairs, media control, relations with the Hunter Association—I’m counting on you for that side.”
“Of course. That’s my domain.”
Yoon Youngsu answered, then hesitated for a moment. He continued carefully.
“And… so that our Guild Master can conduct himself safely. I’m asking you to handle that as well.”
A kind of solidarity formed between the two men. Beyond the rearview mirror, Song Jihoo breathed evenly, sleeping peacefully.
A man with a clear purpose. A man who would grind himself down to the last shred for that purpose.
What those at his side must do was plain.
To watch over him so he did not break. To order and protect his surroundings.
And to achieve that goal together with him.
The Seventh Return: A Collector of Calamities
Author
: Song Tan
Publication Date
: July 13, 2026
Publisher
: Acesmedia Corp.
Editor
: Acesmedia Editorial Team
Address
: Urban Bench Building 10F, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work has been published by Acesmedia Corp. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder.
Without permission from the publisher and author, the contents may not be used in any form or by any means.
This e-book is protected by copyright law, and unauthorized reproduction or copying 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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