The 7th-Run Regressor Collects Calamities - Chapter 38

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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 38. Im Jae-hyeok (2)
“By the way, how is Hunter Im Jae-hyeok doing?”
Yun Young-soo stared blankly at Song Ji-hu for a moment, who had just posed the question.
The call with the White House had only just ended, and now the conversation had shifted to Im Jae-hyeok’s condition.
“Director Yun?”
What kind of person is this man, really?
“Ah? Oh! The hospital hasn’t… contacted us yet.”
“Keep checking on his progress and report back to me. It’s the most important matter right now.”
“…Yes.”
“And if there’s anything you need from me, just say so.”
Yun Young-soo rose slowly from his seat as he answered. His legs trembled slightly.
“Phew…”
Outside the apartment, Yun Young-soo leaned his back against the wall.
His shirt was soaked with cold sweat, and his necktie felt cinched so tightly he could barely breathe.
“Insane…”
He was struck anew by Song Ji-hu’s audacity.
Not only did he reject the White House’s proposal without a moment’s hesitation, but the White House accepted it as if nothing were more natural—and the two of them seemed to have been playing the same game from the start, exchanging sentences with missing subjects as though reading from the same script.
It was a harmony that revealed they had been thinking in unison all along.
“The Hunter Association could never pull off something like this…”
The reality was that global supremacy among Awakened Ones remained divided between America and China, just as it had been before the age of Hunters dawned.
It wasn’t merely military force through Hunters.
In technology, weapons, capital—everything that shaped the times—America and China still led the world.
So the Korean Hunter Association rarely had a voice in front of the United States.
The most recent proof: when Ric Wesley had brought Ollie Barkley without prior consultation, Park Jung-ho had objected—and that bristling protest represented the best Korea could do against America.
Standing in the middle of that tilted playing field, Song Ji-hu had bent the entire board with his own power, forcing a superpower to sit as his equal at the negotiating table.
‘A man of that caliber…’
Yun Young-soo’s eyes narrowed.
The blueprint he had drawn for his life was modest but steady: wag his tail dutifully under Association Chairman Park Jung-ho and rise to the inner circle of the next generation’s administration.
“Park Jung-ho… and Song Ji-hu.”
Yun Young-soo discarded the name Park Jung-ho without hesitation into the trash.
Any scraps Park Jung-ho might throw his way were nothing but grains of sand compared to the massive wave Song Ji-hu would create.
“I’ll just say there was a call with the White House and I didn’t overhear. Probably a courteous message of goodwill—that’s how I’ll frame it.”
He wouldn’t mention the rest. Park Jung-ho learning about it would only overturn the table; it wouldn’t help matters one bit.
Besides, there was the promise he’d made with Eun Seo-jin in the car yesterday.
Protecting Song Ji-hu.
Guild operations, media control, Hunter Association relations—that was Yun Young-soo’s domain.
‘…I need to choose my side correctly.’
Life wasn’t a tightrope where one could walk a perfect fifty-fifty balance. One had to tip toward one side or the other.
“First, I need to check on Im Jae-hyeok’s condition.”
.
.
.
.
.
When Yun Young-soo returned to the apartment after composing himself, Song Ji-hu was still sitting on the sofa, reviewing documents.
“Guild Master. The hospital where Hunter Im Jae-hyeok is staying called. He’s regained consciousness and can receive visitors. They say one more day of stabilization, then a full examination will be possible.”
“That’s good. We’ll go tomorrow.”
“Yes, I’ll arrange the schedule.”
Yun Young-soo glanced at his laptop screen for a moment before asking.
“…What are you thinking of doing about the Yakumo Guild?”
Song Ji-hu answered without lifting his gaze from the screen.
“After I meet with Im Jae-hyeok tomorrow…”
He paused, then tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
“We haven’t heard from the Yakumo Guild yet, have we?”
“That’s correct.”
“If they contact you and try to set a meeting by naming dates, tell them I have a meeting with USAA then.”
“Yes? Understood!”
Yun Young-soo had been repeating back confirmations today—something he rarely did—until his head was spinning.
“So… Hunter Im Jae-hyeok first, then USAA. The Yakumo Guild comes after. May I… ask why?”
Song Ji-hu was silent for a moment before answering.
“He has a habit of determining his opponent’s rank by the first move—rather hastily, I might add.”
“Ah. I understand.”
Yun Young-soo nodded slowly. It was another moment confirming that his decision to align himself had been the right one.
“Then I’ll prepare accordingly.”
“And if the Yakumo Guild says anything, tell them this: USAA takes priority.”
“Phew… Very well. I’ll make sure to tell them exactly that.”
As they finished arranging the schedule, his phone rang again.
[Association Director]
Yun Young-soo stood and stepped outside.
Before answering, he steadied his breathing. He’d already prepared what to report to Park Jung-ho.
“Yes, Director.”
— Intelligence came in that the White House called Hunter Song Ji-hu. What exactly did they talk about?
Park Jung-ho’s voice was urgent, skipping pleasantries altogether. Yun Young-soo opened his mouth.
His tone was measured, his words carefully filtered.
“Yes, Director. It was a courtesy call from the White House—congratulations on clearing the Incheon Gate, and the matter concerning Ollie Barkley.”
— You should report things like that right away.
“I intended to, but I was in a meeting with Hunter Song Ji-hu until just now.”
— Mm… Understood. Report anything important immediately.
“Yes, understood.”
Yun Young-soo hung up without hesitation and exhaled slowly.
‘This is right. This is the only way it should be.’
***
The eighth floor of a specialized Hunter hospital. A private room.
The faint smell of disinfectant brushed his nostrils as the bear of a man lying on the bed slowly opened his eyes.
“Uhhhhh….”
His blurred vision gradually came into focus.
“Where am I….”
White ceiling, white sheets, an IV needle in the back of his hand. And the rhythmic beeping of a vital monitor by the headboard.
“Hospital, then….”
The man flexed his finger joints tentatively.
A slight tremor ran through them, but they moved nonetheless.
“Body seems intact.”
His toes responded the same way. His mind was sharp, his memories unbroken.
The corridors of the Labyrinth, collapsing walls, unconscious teammates at his back. Whispers closing in from all sides.
That moment when his arms could barely hold the Shield, when a stranger’s young hands gripped his shoulders firmly, steadily.
“I’m taking over. You’ve held on well. Rest now.”
A long, deep breath escaped through Im Jae-hyeok’s lips.
“…I’m alive.”
His vocal cords, unused for days, cracked and rasped.
“Hunter Im Jae-hyeok, you’re awake?”
The medical staff, detecting the change in monitor readings, opened the door and entered with quick strides.
“I’ve been conscious for a while now.”
The attending doctor checked Im Jae-hyeok’s pupils with a penlight, took his pulse, then scanned him with a portable Contamination Meter.
Beep—
The doctor tapped the meter’s screen twice, pushed his glasses up, and scanned Im Jae-hyeok again.
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“Your Mental Contamination reading is 48.”
Im Jae-hyeok furrowed his brow.
“What’s the problem with that? It was 41 before I entered the dungeon.”
“…That’s precisely why I’m mentioning it.”
The doctor set down the meter and looked at Im Jae-hyeok as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“You spent over a day in an A-rank Variable Dungeon. For it to have risen only 7 points is nothing short of miraculous. Normally, we’d expect an increase of at least 10 under those conditions.”
Im Jae-hyeok slowly raised his hand to his rough temples.
“Strange indeed….”
The numbers had risen, yet the endless whispers that usually filled his head seemed to have diminished.
Over the past year, every time he lay in bed, he’d had to fight against the phantom voices calling his name from the ceiling.
Mirrors would show a dark shadow standing behind him, and walking down the street, images from dungeons would suddenly intrude, leaving him disoriented.
But now—there was none of it. The ringing, the distorted vision—all were bearable.
“It must be thanks to Hunter Song Ji-hu….”
“Huh….”
Im Jae-hyeok looked up at the doctor, his voice hoarse and hesitant.
“Doctor. I have just one question.”
“Of course. Go ahead.”
“That Hunter Song Ji-hu who fixes Mental Contamination—do you know where he is right now?”
The doctor paused for a moment. It seemed he hadn’t expected this to be the patient’s first question upon regaining consciousness.
“Well, the Zero Point Guild did ask me to contact them when you woke up. But visiting hours might be difficult right now, wouldn’t they?”
“Please submit a visitation request.”
Im Jae-hyeok pushed himself up slightly and shook his head.
“I have to see him before the sun sets today.”
***
Song Ji-hu was reviewing documents in the living room when Yun Young-soo approached with quick steps.
“Guild Master. Hunter Im Jae-hyeok, who is hospitalized, has fully regained consciousness. And…”
Song Ji-hu lifted his eyes from the screen.
“He’s asked to see you directly. He said visitation is possible even today, right away…”
Song Ji-hu closed his laptop and smiled faintly.
“Let’s go.”
“Sir? You have a schedule today…”
“Hunter Im Jae-hyeok comes first. Everything else can wait.”
Yun Young-soo watched Song Ji-hu for a moment, then nodded.
Hadn’t he said the same thing yesterday—that Im Jae-hyeok was the priority? It seemed there was an order to things that only Song Ji-hu understood.
Song Ji-hu stood and put on a light jacket.
Eun Seo-jin retrieved her sword, and Yun Young-soo took the car keys.
***
Click.
The hospital room door opened, and Im Jae-hyeok, who had been lying at an angle, kicked off his blanket and tried to sit up abruptly.
“Ah, Hunter Song Ji-hu…!”
Song Ji-hu held up his palm gently, stopping him.
“Please rest. You’re still recovering.”
“I’m fine. This is nothing to me.”
Im Jae-hyeok grunted and managed to sit up, leaning his back against the bed’s headboard.
Days of stubble had left his chin rough, but his eyes were sharp and clear.
Song Ji-hu pulled a guardian’s chair from beside the bed and sat down. Eun Seo-jin naturally took her place by the door, and Yun Young-soo stood a step behind.
“…My memory feels a bit strange.”
Im Jae-hyeok stared at Song Ji-hu’s face for a long time. Song Ji-hu met his gaze in silence.
“It’s strange—I’m sure we’ve never met, yet something about you feels strangely familiar.”
Song Ji-hu’s pupils flickered subtly.
Im Jae-hyeok’s soul seemed to remember some trace of it.
“…It’s probably just a feeling.”
Song Ji-hu answered calmly.
“We first met in the Dungeon, after all.”
“…I suppose. Perhaps because you saved my life.”
Im Jae-hyeok shrugged, then suddenly straightened his posture.
“So your name is Song Ji-hu, is it?”
Im Jae-hyeok’s voice grew heavier.
“I have one favor to ask of you.”
“Tell me.”
Song Ji-hu answered composedly. He already had an inkling of what Im Jae-hyeok would ask.
“Accept me into your guild.”
Yun Young-soo looked startled and glanced at Song Ji-hu, but Song Ji-hu’s expression remained unchanged.
“I owe you my life. Any man worth his salt repays such a debt, even with his own life.”
A faint smile spread across Song Ji-hu’s lips.
Through all six lifetimes, the adjectives that defined the man called Im Jae-hyeok had never once changed.
He had always been a man of loyalty, a man of trust, a man who repaid any debt he incurred, even at the cost of his life.
This life was no exception.
‘Good.’
Seeing Song Ji-hu’s expressionless face, Im Jae-hyeok added more.
“Any conditions will do. Even as a regular guild member is fine. I don’t care what wages you pay. Just feed me, and I’ll start by cleaning the guild floors—I’ll do anything.”
Song Ji-hu’s fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of his chair.
“That won’t work.”
“What…?”
Yet despite the words of refusal that left Song Ji-hu’s lips, his face was radiant with a smile.
A Seventh-Time Regressor Collecting Calamities
Author
: Song Tan
Date of Production
: July 13, 2026
Publisher
: Acesis Media Co., Ltd.
Editor
: Acesis Media Editorial Team
Address
: 10F Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work is published by Acesis Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder,
and its contents may not be used in any form or by any means without the permission of the company and author.
This e-book is protected under copyright law, and any 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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