The 7th-Run Regressor Collects Calamities - Chapter 62

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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 62. The Spy (1)
The hallway of the new headquarters still carried the sharp smell of fresh paint.
Song Ji-hu walked slowly through the completed Zero Point Guild’s office corridor, breathing in that scent.
The hallway that had been under interior renovation until recently—loud and dusty—had transformed into gleaming floors and pristine white walls.
Through the windows, the training grounds were still in the final stages of construction.
“A fresh start… it suits Zero Point perfectly.”
Just then, Yoon Young-su approached from down the corridor, holding a tablet.
“Guild Master, welcome.”
“The building looks quite impressive.”
“We just completed the final inspections.”
Anti-wiretapping measures just in case, magical formations to protect the building from external attacks—precautions of that sort.
As a result, more than half the funds Song Ji-hu had received from USAA went into this guild building alone, but since Song Ji-hu was satisfied, that was enough.
“We’ve also received usage approval. From now on, this is the Zero Point Guild building.”
“You’ve worked hard, Director Yoon.”
“Hard work? Money was overflowing, so if anything it was easier?”
At that, Song Ji-hu let out a short laugh.
“Well, about that…”
Yoon Young-su turned on the tablet screen and held it out to Song Ji-hu.
“The job posting you mentioned… it’s been up for four days now.”
Song Ji-hu accepted the tablet and examined the content on the screen.
[NEW 3,156]
“Quite a few applications?”
Instead of answering, Yoon Young-su hit the refresh button on the tablet.
[NEW 3,279]
Each time he pressed refresh, the counter climbed like madness.
“Hmm… that is quite a lot.”
As if a dam had burst, applications from across the country were flooding toward Zero Point.
“Not just domestically. Applications are coming from overseas as well. From all over the world.”
“How did they find out…?”
“Hunter communities. Ever since the Mental Corruption Healing became a hot topic, the number of foreigners residing in Korean Hunter forums has grown absurdly.”
Song Ji-hu nodded lightly as if this was expected and scrolled through the screen.
“I see. We’ll need to schedule interviews with plenty of time slots.”
That composure snapped Yoon Young-su—who had been left speechless—back to reality.
The fact that Song Ji-hu was so calm meant he’d anticipated this, and surely had his reasons.
‘Is there really enough work for all twenty of them…?’
Yoon Young-su studied Song Ji-hu’s profile as he remained expressionless, scanning the applicant list.
It was an expression from which he couldn’t tell what Song Ji-hu was seeing at all. Yoon Young-su continued carefully.
“I’ve skimmed through them… and the caliber of candidates is no joke. Former finance team leads from major corporations, ex-Hunter Association employees, people with overseas guild experience…”
Yoon Young-su shook his head as if unable to comprehend it.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect it to reach this level.”
They were all career professionals worthy of any stage. People who, if they wished, could pick and choose from the largest guilds across the world—yet here they were applying to Zero Point Guild’s administrative, security, and healing support positions.
“It must be because of the healing. Either they have sick people around them, or they themselves are afflicted.”
Song Ji-hu let his words trail off. Of course, that was only half the truth. The other half existed only in Song Ji-hu’s mind.
‘Rival guilds, Abyss operatives… there’s no shortage of people wanting to scout our interior.’
And when the Mana Concentration Phenomenon erupts, it would be incomparably worse than now.
‘I need to get everything ready before then.’
Just then, Eun Seo-jin, who had been training with Lim Jae-hyeok in the vacant lot beside the guild building, joined them.
Wiping sweat away with a towel, Eun Seo-jin glanced at the tablet screen and offered a casual remark.
“It’s a natural result for Zero Point Guild. If anything, it seems rather modest.”
Following behind, Lim Jae-hyeok appeared, spinning his new Buckler around his wrist.
“More hands make light work! More people to eat with too, how great is that!”
The new Buckler that Ryu Jin had crafted gleamed softly on Lim Jae-hyeok’s wrist.
“And when there’s more people, the guild feels solid, doesn’t it, Guild Master?”
The atmosphere instantly loosened at Lim Jae-hyeok’s good humor. Even Eun Seo-jin’s stern expression softened.
Eun Seo-jin glanced at Lim Jae-hyeok’s Buckler and spoke.
“That shield is extraordinary. My sword was worth getting excited about because of it.”
“Your excitement’s worth it. You saw what I could do, didn’t you?”
Song Ji-hu returned the tablet to Yoon Young-su and answered.
“Have Director Yoon handle the first round of screening. I’ll conduct the interviews together with Director Yoon.”
Just then, at the end of the corridor, Ayase Haruka in shrine maiden attire appeared, hurrying along with Matsumoto Leo.
She had been gazing around Zero Point’s new headquarters with the wonder of someone seeing it for the first time when she spotted Song Ji-hu, her face lighting up as she hurried over.
It was hard to believe this was the same person who had been suffering just days earlier—her expression was radiant.
“Were you discussing something?”
“Recruitment matters. We’re looking to hire some people.”
“You’re conducting interviews? Please let me sit in on them!”
Ayase Haruka spoke with bright eyes.
“I’m certain I can be of help.”
Song Ji-hu studied Ayase Haruka’s eyes for a moment, then shifted his gaze to Matsumoto Leo.
“You’ll be joining us, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
As Matsumoto Leo answered as if it were obvious, Song Ji-hu nodded in turn.
“That’ll be useful.”
“Hmph, if Haruka’s in there, it’s obvious she’ll be useful. Her ability is what it is.”
Matsumoto Leo understood well what kind of advantage it was to have someone who could distinguish truth from falsehood sitting in an interview room—after all, that was exactly how he had recruited members for the Kage Guild.
That was how he had built the Kage Guild’s roster in the first place.
“Anyway, I’ve gathered all the information you mentioned before. All those connections.”
“Good. Then… we should have a meeting before the interviews.”
It seemed they were starting to notice him on the other side now, which meant it was time to brief his inner circle.
Of course, he had no intention of telling them everything.
‘Apostles, Abyss, objectives—those can be disclosed.’
Since Ayase Haruka had already sensed the Apostles, there was no point in hiding that. In fact, it would be worse to underestimate the Abyss without information and make a critical error.
‘If it were USAA, I’d have to be more careful… but since it’s Kage.’
The United States was where Abyss had its agents most densely planted in the world, and within that massive organization, he couldn’t control where information might leak.
***
The next day, the conference room on the top floor of Zero Point’s headquarters.
“Preparations are complete. You may proceed.”
Only after Yoon Young-su had activated anti-wiretapping measures and every conceivable defense system did he nod at Song Ji-hu.
Seven people sat in the conference room: five from Zero Point, plus Matsumoto Leo and Ayase Haruka.
“Um… I’m supposed to be here too, right?”
Ryu Jin, summoned still in his work clothes, smiled awkwardly as he took his seat, glancing around at the others. Lim Jae-hyeok chuckled beside him and collapsed into the chair with a heavy sigh.
“Now that everyone’s here, let’s get down to business.”
The moment Song Ji-hu opened his mouth, the casual chatter that had been drifting through the room ceased abruptly.
Song Ji-hu turned to look at Matsumoto Leo, who slid a thick document folder across the table with a decisive push.
“I kept my promise. The materials were compiled by the fourth day, just as I said.”
Though he spoke with studied nonchalance, subtle pride radiated from his raised chin, the upturn of his lips, and the set of his shoulders.
“This is a list of every organized crime ring connected to Abyss operating in Japan and Korea. We’ve scraped together everything we could get our hands on.”
Yoon Young-su distributed the document folder to everyone, and Song Ji-hu turned to the first page.
As pages rustled through the silence of the conference room, Matsumoto Leo continued his explanation.
“First, Japan. We traced back through the agents we identified within our own organization.”
This was honestly a part even Matsumoto Leo hadn’t anticipated. He never would have guessed that Abyss’s connections were spread so extensively.
“Two in the political world, three in the press, one in the Defense Ministry line. Not all of them are officially Abyss members. On the surface, they look perfectly legitimate. But once you dig into the money flows and contact chains, they all converge at one point.”
Matsumoto Leo tapped a specific point in the documents with his finger. Three Kage Guild members had died uncovering this section alone.
“Abyss. And not even a line that appears on any official organizational chart.”
“What about Korea?”
Abyss. Yoon Young-su leaned forward sharply, his voice urgent as he asked the question.
He couldn’t not know the name. In fact, he knew it far too well. Within the Hunter Association, Abyss was regarded as a perfectly exemplary and flawless partner.
“Korea’s situation is even worse.”
Matsumoto Leo called out the page numbers from the documents.
“Abyss Korea itself—well, setting that aside since it’s openly Abyss. Below that, we found several organized crime rings acting as their hands and feet.”
“Several… several?”
Yoon Young-su’s voice trembled slightly. His background in the Hunter Association was evident in his reaction.
“The most notorious one is Heukcheon.”
Ryu Jin’s shoulders flinched. Why was that name—the one he’d seen lurking around his own workshop—surfacing here?
“They handle all sorts of dirty work. This one was particularly difficult because on the surface, the money flows have nothing to do with Abyss. But….”
Matsumoto Leo leaned back against his chair and crossed his arms with a smug air.
“There’s an intermediary organization. Technically not a guild, but the LB Group.”
“What? The LB… Group?”
Yoon Young-su stared at Matsumoto Leo in disbelief. When one said LB, one was talking about a conglomerate that, while not exactly a name that commanded Korea, certainly ranked within the top fifty companies by financial standing.
“The money gets laundered through them and flows into Heukcheon. That’s the extent of Kage’s work. A very satisfactory result. At this level, even most state intelligence agencies would….”
Just as Matsumoto Leo was about to pat himself on the back further, Song Ji-hu shook his head and cut him off.
“Half of it.”
“…What?”
Matsumoto Leo’s brow furrowed sharply.
“Half? Look, do you know what kind of information this is?”
“More like half of half, to be precise.”
He had to admit he was surprised. In just a few days, Kage Guild had uncovered this much—their intelligence capability seemed to be delivering what he’d hoped for, which was reassuring.
“What you found is just the exposed surface roots of the Abyss. The trunk, not the whole thing. Well… honestly, even this much is impressive work, but…”
Every eye in the conference room turned toward Song Ji-hu.
“The Abyss has a three-layered structure. There’s the shell visible from the outside, the core inside that, and the roots buried underground.”
Song Ji-hu counted off on his fingers.
“The first layer. The legitimate guilds, corporations, and foundations I just mentioned. Rehabilitation programs, government agreements, charitable activities. Seventy percent of all personnel belong here, and they genuinely believe they’re helping Hunters. In the short term, it actually works.”
“It actually works?”
“It has to work to be effective bait. Hunters who go through the rehabilitation program experience temporary relief from Mental Corruption symptoms.”
Song Ji-hu continued grimly.
“But it’s not reducing the corruption—just pausing it or numbing the pain. Once the effects wear off, they have no choice but to seek out the Abyss again. And so they descend deeper. Like an addiction.”
Song Ji-hu raised a second finger.
“And the part you missed is right here. A cult network. Those who collapse mentally after repeating rehabilitation, those completely isolated from society—they selectively invite only those. From there, it becomes religion. The third layer is the countless sub-groups and bribed officials that you just scratched the surface of.”
Song Ji-hu fell silent for a moment, but no one found it easy to speak.
They’d thought it was simply a large guild or business enterprise, but the scope was far beyond imagination.
“That’s…”
Matsumoto Leo started to say something, then simply closed his mouth.
‘For Kage to dig up information like this. It would take weeks? No, months. So when did Song Ji-hu even start collecting all this?’
It was certain that Song Ji-hu’s enemy was the Abyss. And no ordinary enemy at that—one he’d have to see through to the bitter end.
“So… who is it that’s controlling the entire picture?”
At Eun Seo-jin’s question, Song Ji-hu slowly swept his gaze across the room. This was the real reason he’d assembled everyone here today.
“To answer that, I need to address something first.”
Song Ji-hu spoke with gravity.
“What do you all believe Mental Corruption actually is?”
7th Regression—A Catastrophe Collector
Author
: Song Tan
Publication Date
: July 31, 2026
Publisher
: Aces Media Co., Ltd.
Editor
: Aces Media Editorial Team
Address
: 10F Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Special City
Email
: [email protected]
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The content may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company 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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