The Regressed EX-Class Martial God Decided to Become a Thousand-Star Hunter - Chapter 14

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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 14
Chapter 14.
The Boss Monster of the Broken Munitions Factory.
Mark II, the first-generation combat golem abbreviated as Mark-Two, was notorious among C-rank and below Hunter dungeons as a particularly formidable boss.
The reason was simple: it wielded firearms.
Not merely standard assault rifles, but Heavy Machine Guns held in both hands, ammunition belts draped across its entire upper torso—the moment a Hunter entered the Boss Room, it unleashed relentless suppressive fire.
Without proper defensive measures, a Hunter’s body would become a riddled husk in seconds.
So, if one had to compare difficulty to the Corpse Giant?
‘The Corpse Giant would obviously be far worse.’
The Zombie Burst dungeon had a lower entry rank, but the Corpse Giant was a boss monster left untouched—meant not to be fought at all.
This one, by contrast, had to be defeated to clear the dungeon.
Which meant Mark-Two had clear weaknesses.
First: the reload time after its initial barrage, when it drew fresh Heavy Machine Guns from the Ammunition Pouch mounted on its back.
A definite opening, and the window to strike.
But there was an even larger vulnerability.
‘After three volleys, the machine guns and the recoil-absorption apparatus mounted on its arms need a cooling period.’
So the initiative lay entirely with the enemy at first.
But hold the line, and a Hunter would dominate the fight—this was a dungeon tilted decisively in their favor.
And Ju Do-gyeom’s party possessed a Manifestation Mage in Kim Han-yul.
At the entrance to the Boss Room, having swept aside the useless broken tin golems,
Ju Do-gyeom spoke.
“Is there any free space in your Manifestation Magic inventory?”
“No—why?”
“Delete something. Anything you don’t need.”
“Hmm….”
Kim Han-yul nodded without hesitation and closed her eyes.
She’d stocked certain Manifestation items as backup, but there were indeed pieces she’d never used in practice.
Opening her eyes again, she said,
“Done. What do you need?”
“A large Steel Shield.”
“To block Mark-Two’s initial barrage? Will that be enough?”
“It will.”
Ju Do-gyeom spoke with his usual confidence, and Kim Han-yul followed his instruction despite her doubts.
The feeling was strange.
‘How is it he already feels like the team leader, and I like the member?’
Technically, that wasn’t the case yet.
Still, her body obeyed his direction.
Thus were manifested two massive Steel Shields.
Ju Do-gyeom stowed the Great Hammer in his inventory, then gripped both shields in his hands—left and right—and spoke.
“I’ll take point. Once the cooling period begins, I’ll suppress it immediately.”
“Any other support needed?”
“None.”
Ju Do-gyeom answered curtly and kicked open the Boss Room door with force.
At once.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!
A storm of bullets poured toward them both.
Ju Do-gyeom infused Inner Energy into the steel shields gripped in both hands, flowing it outward to reinforce them.
Not, of course, ordinary Inner Energy enhancement.
『Skill acquired: Ruyi Vajra Qi (1-star).』
Ruyi Vajra Qi—a Qi Transformation martial art that altered the fundamental nature of one’s Inner Energy.
Its capabilities were two-fold at their core: dramatically increased durability, and partial shape transformation of the infused object.
Think of Sun Wukong’s staff—easier to envision that way.
A weapon could harden, lengthen, shorten, become flexible or rigid.
But it could not transform into something fundamentally different.
And at the first-star level, shape transformation wasn’t even possible to attempt.
To achieve such feats, Ruyi Vajra Qi needed to reach at least five stars.
Its entry difficulty and mastery difficulty were abysmal—among the worst.
Judged purely by entry-level demands alone, it surpassed even Ju Do-gyeom’s signature arts, the Heavenly Severing Qi Art and Earthly Severing Qi Art.
This was why, even by future standards, those capable of leveraging this skill—even with Ju Do-gyeom’s guidance—could be counted on one hand.

Of course, he was the one who’d taught it in the first place.
As a martial master, Ju Do-gyeom could maintain the Ruyi Vajra Qi with absolute ease.
Even advancing forward with the shield held high through a second barrage of gunfire was child’s play at this point.
To be precise.
If his goal had been purely to hunt Mark Two, the battle would have ended during the reload after the first volley.
He could have rushed in with the Great Hammer in place of one shield, struck the Mark of Death visible on Mark Two’s body, and brought the Boss Monster to a complete standstill.
But he held back.
As he’d said, the goal of this Dungeon was Kim Han-yul’s dramatic growth in Manifestation Magic.
For that, the Boss Monster needed to be subdued, not slain.
So Ju Do-gyeom steadily closed the distance, inch by deliberate inch.
Whirrrr—! Clickclick-click—!
The Boss Monster, Mark Two, finished reloading and prepared to unleash a third barrage.
Or at least, that’s what he thought in that instant.
Rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat—!
Bullets poured forth.
Ju Do-gyeom remained perfectly still, doing only what he needed to do.
Kim Han-yul.
From behind Ju Do-gyeom’s shield, she could only click her tongue once more.
‘I thought his offense was monstrous, but this defense is top-tier too?’
A versatile close-combat Hunter capable of both attack and defense.
Such things existed in theory.
But she’d never seen a truly skilled one.
The Hunter Community had a saying that came up often enough.
Whoever tried to dig everywhere instead of digging one well never produced anything but garbage.
Kim Han-yul agreed with that sentiment wholeheartedly.
In fact, among all the Hunters she’d met so far, every single one who hadn’t focused on a single specialty had been a complete mess.
Yet Ju Do-gyeom possessed the offensive power to reduce a Corpse Giant to pulp in a single blow.
On top of that, he wielded the defensive strength to block torrents of gunfire with nothing but two shields.
In his advance, there was no hesitation, no wavering.
Only absolute certainty.
Perhaps because of that?
Kim Han-yul felt her heart quicken simply watching that back.
It was probably because she’d never been protected so thoroughly by anyone before.
‘That said, it’s still…’
She was certain of it.
‘This man must be incredibly popular.’
If only he could socialize properly.
In the midst of this Boss Monster battle where she had the luxury to entertain such idle thoughts.
The third barrage suddenly fell silent.
In that same moment.
Ju Do-gyeom hurled one of the shields he’d been holding.
It happened in an instant.
The shield shot forth like a spear, and severed the Boss Monster’s left arm clean off where it gripped the Heavy Machine Gun.
In fact, the martial art Ju Do-gyeom had employed was the Throwing Wind Flash Spear technique.
『You have acquired Skill: Throwing Wind Flash Spear (1-star).』
He had simply repurposed the shield to use it.
The second shield flew through the air as well.
This time, the Boss Monster’s right arm was severed.
Whirrrrr—!
The Boss Monster’s single eye, set in its head, blazed crimson.
Ju Do-gyeom kicked off the ground and tore through the air, swinging the Great Hammer he’d taken up and smashing the creature’s head clean away.
Its half-severed arms were completely obliterated in an instant.
『Skill Heavenly Force Upheaval Method promoted to 3-star.』
“Hnngh—!”
Drawing in a breath of air and pulling his Inner Energy to its peak, Ju Do-gyeom’s Great Hammer swung in a wide arc and tore away Mark Two’s torso.
Boom—!
With a deafening crash, the chain-like treads of Mark Two’s locomotion system, resembling tank wheels, rolled across the floor several times before grinding to a halt against the wall.
Crackle-crackle—!
Electrical current spilled from the shattered circuitry.
Glancing at it to confirm the state, Ju Do-gyeom kicked the remaining body of Mark Two to the ground.
With both arms and its mobility system destroyed, the Boss Monster could only emit strange, anguished sounds without mounting any resistance.
Screeeee—! Screeeee—!
Ju Do-gyeom stowed the Great Hammer into his inventory without sparing the creature another glance, then turned to the woman frozen in shock and spoke.
“Manifest it. Kim Han-yul.”
……
Unable to answer, Kim Han-yul swallowed hard, gave a sharp nod, and hurried forward to squat directly in front of the mangled Boss Monster, fixing her gaze upon it.
Ju Do-gyeom spoke again.
“Trust yourself. You can do this.”
……Yes.
Kim Han-yul nodded once more.
* * *
Within the Dungeon’s Boss Room.
Had she ever spent so much time in a place like this before?
In truth, Kim Han-yul barely registered the passage of time as she examined the ravaged Boss Monster—a First-Generation Combat Golem Mark II—as though drawn by invisible threads, her eyes moving across every inch of its frame.
She began with the torso.
Then the head.
After that came the arms, which held the crux of its combat function, and the legs that served as both its means of locomotion and primary support structure.
She was no roboticist.
Nor was she a scholar of magic.
Simply an ordinary salaried employee of a chemical company who had chosen the path of a Hunter and become a Manifestation Mage.
So her examination could teach her nothing of the underlying principles.
She could only imagine—perhaps it functioned this way, or perhaps that.
Kim Han-yul continued her inspection in this trance-like state for some time before suddenly rising to her feet.
Ju Do-gyeom had been right.
‘I think I actually can do this.’
Manifesting a Boss Monster.
If she succeeded, all her abilities would leap forward dramatically.
Not merely her practical combat strength, but a clear path forward would crystallize before her as well.
Kim Han-yul swallowed and turned her head to find Ju Do-gyeom.
At the far wall.
There sat the man, eyes closed, legs folded in meditation.
A bitter laugh escaped Kim Han-yul’s lips unbidden.
“Seriously…… you really have no nerves at all, do you?”
Ju Do-gyeom answered without opening his eyes.
“No reason to be tense. The battle’s already over.”
His eyes opened then, and he continued:
“Sounds like your confidence is back.”
“It is. I’m going to try right now. So…….”
Kim Han-yul had meant to ask him to watch, but the words died in her throat.
She felt foolish somehow.
“Never mind. I’ll just do it.”
“Kim Han-yul. Your ears are red.”
“Shut up. I’m starting now.”
Kim Han-yul closed both eyes and concentrated her consciousness.
The embarrassment faded almost at once.
And the image of the First-Generation Combat Golem Mark II she had shaped began to crystallize vividly in her mind.
Before her outstretched palms, Magical Power gathered and collided, crackling with electric charge that scattered in all directions.
Crack-crack-crack—!
It was harder than she’d anticipated.
Even with her strengthened imagination and her conviction that she could succeed, the difficulty remained.
There was nothing surprising about that.
‘It’s a Boss Monster, after all.’
Attempting to manifest something of that caliber was naturally grueling.
In fact, at her current level, failure wouldn’t even be unusual.
‘Just opening the possibility is enough…….’
The value was already immense.
It was as Kim Han-yul held this thought that—
A voice reached her ears.
“Kim Han-yul. Discard that weak-hearted notion that you can try again later.”
What? Does this bastard think it’s as easy as it looks?!
She wanted to cry out, but couldn’t even open her mouth.
In that moment, anxiety gripped her—the fear that some thread she’d almost grasped would slip away entirely.
“What you possess has far surpassed the realm of mere possibility. Believe in yourself. You can create anything, and beyond that, you might even reach the domain of creation itself. You’re not someone who should struggle against a Boss Monster in some C-rank Dungeon. If you can’t believe in yourself, then fine. I’ll vouch for you instead. You’re already a remarkable Hunter, Kim Han-yul.”
Really…….
“How insufferably loud!”
Kim Han-yul cried out, her eyes snapping wide open.
A brilliant radiance poured forth from her.
Her lips curved upward in a smile.
Before her eyes, flickers of Magical Power blazed in succession, beginning to take form.
After that, everything happened in an instant.
The luminescence of Magical Power transformed into the steel plating of a mechanical apparatus.
A head sprouted forth, its single eye blazing with crimson light, and a body followed.
The wheeled lower half was completed as well.
The most crucial components came last: both arms and the recoil mechanism, the ammunition belt and Ammunition Pouch, and finally the Heavy Machine Gun.
Immediately, Kim Han-yul received a message.
『Skill Manifestation Magic (Level 4) is promoted.』
『Skill Manifestation Magic (Level 5) is promoted.』
A two-level promotion in a single breath!
She’d never experienced anything like it.
She’d only heard rumors that the top-tier Hunters in the Hunter Community had undergone such a thing—she never imagined she’d experience it herself.
Bewildered, Kim Han-yul looked toward Ju Do-gyeom.
But Ju Do-gyeom was not looking at her.
His gaze was fixed on the entrance to the Boss Room.
Ju Do-gyeom spoke.
“Kim Han-yul.”
“Y-yes?”
“They’re coming.”
What was?
The question didn’t need to be asked.
Whirrrrr—!
The distinctive mechanical whine of the malfunctioning Golems reached Kim Han-yul’s ears.
She turned her gaze.
Minion Golems scattered throughout the Dungeon were streaming toward the Boss Room entrance.
The noise was considerable—she’d drawn their attention spectacularly.
Ju Do-gyeom’s voice came through.
“You can handle them, right?”
Kim Han-yul, her expression brimming with confidence, spoke.
“Of course.”
Then she pointed at the incoming tin Golems and commanded.
“Mark Two, fire.”
Immediately after.
Wheeeee—!
An alarm sounded as Mark Two’s single eye blazed with scarlet light.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat—!
Torrential gunfire erupted toward the advancing enemies.
The malfunctioning Golems that had charged forward became riddled with holes in an instant, their cores completely destroyed.
Not a single Golem crossed the threshold of the Boss Room entrance.
This was an overwhelming firepower that Kim Han-yul had never possessed before.
As her heart pounded violently at the sight of it, a new sound cut through.
Crack—!
Something shattered, and along with it.
『Objective achieved. Boss Monster eliminated 1/1.』
『Return to Earth? Y/N』
A message arrived.
Ju Do-gyeom had finished off the Boss Monster he’d left in ruins.
Within her still-pounding heart.
Kim Han-yul, her trembling eyes fixed on Ju Do-gyeom, gazed at him.
Ju Do-gyeom spoke.
“We’ll discuss the contract details once we’re back on Earth.”
His voice carried absolute certainty that there would be no refusal.
That aspect of him that had sometimes struck her as unlucky now seemed nothing short of magnificent.
Kim Han-yul nodded and replied.
“Let’s do this, team leader.”
“Returning.”
Before the word had even finished leaving his lips, Ju Do-gyeom’s form flashed and vanished.
Kim Han-yul followed in his wake.
“Return.”
Her entire body still trembled, suffused with a lingering thrill.

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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
—————