The Regressed EX-Class Martial God Decided to Become a Thousand-Star Hunter - Chapter 23

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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 23
23.
Ju Do-gyeom blinked.
“……A house, you say?”
Lee Young-sik pulled out a tablet and handed it over.
The screen showed Blue Zone, District 1.
A spacious luxury villa appeared—close enough to walk to the Yongsan Dungeon marketplace.
Lee Young-sik let out a hearty laugh.
“Hehehehe…… Not from me, mind you. Our daughter wanted to give this to you as a gift herself. I say again, not me. Every penny for this house came straight from our daughter’s pocket. Hehehehe……!”
Ju Do-gyeom looked at Lee Seo-ah and asked.
“Your daughter herself……?”
“I’d set aside quite a lot of money. I put it into stocks…… and it went up tremendously in just two years…….”
“Hehehehe……! Not because she’s my daughter—the girl’s genuinely talented. I’ve never given her pocket money more than a hundred thousand won, you know? But I tell you…… ow……!”
Lee Seo-ah pinched her father’s thigh once more, her glare sharp and silent.
Lee Young-sik’s mouth snapped shut.
Lee Seo-ah spoke.
“I’m sorry. Father has a habit of saying too much…….”
“…….”
Ju Do-gyeom nodded.
By now he’d grown quite used to it.
Another thought crossed his mind too.
With a father like that, she’d become the person she was.
Two years of desperation, of sharpness.
Even foresight.
Ju Do-gyeom looked at the screen once more, then lifted his gaze.
Lee Seo-ah spoke, her expression embarrassed.
“I honestly couldn’t manage Green Zone on my own money. I didn’t want to ask Father for help either.”
“Not at all. This is more than enough. Rather, I owe your daughter…….”
“Lee Seo-ah.”
“……?”
“Call me Lee Seo-ah. Not as your daughter.”
Her voice was small but carried an edge of resolve.
Yet perhaps because she’d only just recovered from illness……
Her smile was bright, but something melancholy flickered beneath her features.
‘……What?’
The moment he saw her.
Something stirred in the depths of his mind.
Like a figure beckoning from beyond a veil of fog.
Almost within reach, yet slipping away.
‘What is it?’
What was it.
There was definitely something there.
His memories—thanks to Vivienne’s help—had become abnormally vivid ever since the return.
A clarity that recovered dates and times down to the hour, yet this moment alone was shrouded like mist.
Ju Do-gyeom fumbled at the fog for a few seconds, then let it go.
‘If most memories came right away…… then this probably isn’t important.’
More than anything else.
In the future he knew, Lee Seo-ah died three years from now.
There was no reason to recall new information.
‘…… Even if I’m mistaken, forcing myself to remember won’t make it come back anyway.’
Having settled on that conclusion.
He nodded.
“I’ll accept your kindness with gratitude.”
He’d been meaning to move anyway.
The father and daughter’s faces both brightened at once.
But now it felt like he was only receiving.
Cash, accounts, a house.
Ju Do-gyeom thought for a moment, then spoke.
“Would you…… perhaps like a bowl of Yukkejang?”
“……Yes?”
Lee Seo-ah’s eyes went wide.
Lee Young-sik, by contrast, brightened visibly as he asked.
“The smell coming in was something else. Did you cook this yourself?”
“Yes. It contains rare ingredients.”
“Rare ingredients?”
Since when did Yukkejang have things like that?
Though truthfully, did it matter?
The kindness itself was precious enough.
Lee Young-sik smiled as he spoke.
“If it’s goodwill, I’ll gladly accept it.”
“Thank you.”
And so, before the father and daughter,
a bowl of Yukkejang infused with Mana Stones and Dungeon Ingredients was set down.
* * *
Slurp.
Slurp-slurp.
In the cramped one-room apartment, the sound of broth being drawn up rang out briskly.
And moments later.
“……Extraordinary!”
The exclamation burst from Lee Young-sik, the tycoon himself.
His precious only daughter,
Lee Seo-ah too paused mid-spoonful, her expression shifting to one of equal surprise as she opened her mouth.
“You…… cook remarkably well?”
Ju Do-gyeom, his expression satisfied, nodded slowly.
“I’ve put in considerable effort.”
“No, no — this isn’t something effort alone can achieve. The depth of flavor, the consistency, that umami layered throughout…… even the best dining chefs couldn’t replicate this level. Without genuine talent, one could never reach it…… slurp!”
Lee Young-sik, apparently quite the gourmand by nature, continued to heap praise upon praise before downing another mouthful of broth.
The sensation of restraint was written across his entire face.
It was an odd sight.
A wealthy magnate and his precious daughter, perspiring freely in a Red Zone studio apartment, utterly absorbed in Yukkejang.
Ju Do-gyeom rose without a word and switched on the air conditioning.
A small gesture of consideration from the host toward his sweating guests.
In this warm and convivial atmosphere, the two bowls were nearly emptied when it happened.
Lee Young-sik’s eyes suddenly widened.
“……What is this!?”
“……?”
“My Mana…… it’s increased!”
Before his eyes, a system message had appeared.
『Mana Grade Increase: D− → D』
Lee Young-sik was an Awakened One as well.
Like most wealthy tycoons, the type who’d merely completed their awakening while safely hiring expensive Hunters to do the real work.
His overall stats fell within D-rank, but lacking any practical experience, his Mana had stalled at D−.
And now, from a single bowl of Yukkejang, his Mana Grade had risen.
“I…… I feel it too. Something warm spreading through my body?”
Lee Seo-ah, freshly awakened herself, stared down at her own palms, blinking in amazement.
The gazes of father and daughter snapped simultaneously to Ju Do-gyeom.
Ju Do-gyeom’s eyes gleamed faintly.
He’d suspected as much — the Universal Chef’s cooking effects extended to others as well.
‘Better than I’d anticipated.’
Satisfied, he opened his mouth to explain.
“That’s likely an effect of my Hunter job skill.”
“Your job skill?”
“Yes. My Hunter job is called Universal Chef.”
The eyes of both widened once more.
They’d never imagined Ju Do-gyeom’s job would be something from the culinary arts at all.
Neither the aura he carried,
nor what he’d accomplished,
were things possible for someone of a chef’s profession to pull off.
Yet why would Ju Do-gyeom lie?
And even if he had, was there reason for them to doubt?
There wasn’t any.
Which left the father and daughter at a loss.
“Ah, I see…….”
“I…….”
They let out short sounds of understanding, nodding in unison.
Yet their expressions weren’t entirely clear.
The connection between Ju Do-gyeom’s profession and the effect of the Mana increase hadn’t clicked immediately.
Ju Do-gyeom explained further, thoughtfully.
“The Mana increase is a special effect that occurs when Dungeon Ingredients and Mana Stones are combined together.”
“……?”
“……?”
“I tried it for the first time myself, but the texture of the Fat Bird was quite good, I must say.”
Both their gazes drifted slowly downward, settling on the meat in their bowls.
Shredded cleanly in long, delicate strands—that tender, chewy flesh.
‘Ah, so that was Fat Bird.’
‘…….’
In this era, fine cuisine made from Dungeon Ingredients had become a fairly well-known hobby.
Yet those who pursued it remained decidedly rare.
Even Chairman Lee Young-sik, who ordinarily enjoyed his food, hadn’t made much of a point to look toward the dungeons.
Why go to the trouble when there was already plenty to eat?
Only if the world fell into worse disarray would it make sense to overcome one’s physiological resistance and reach for such ingredients.
But would he refuse it now?
If asked, he couldn’t say yes to that.
There were three reasons.
First was the sheer quality of the food itself.
Regardless of the ingredients’ origin or any instinctive resistance, it was simply delicious.
And second was something extraordinary—his Mana had risen outside a dungeon.
That was precious.
More than precious; it was an astounding phenomenon never before seen in the world.
Raising Mana on Earth rather than in a dungeon?
If word of this spread, people would line up and spend billions just for a taste.
It was no accident that Ju Do-gyeom had called it a rare delicacy.
And that led to the third reason.
The heart of the man who offered this food.
Thinking it through to that point, he felt something almost like gratitude.
In fact, as Lee Young-sik lifted his head, his eyebrows trembled slightly without his awareness.
“You…….”
“……?”
“I came to repay a debt, yet here you offer such a rare gift. I still owe you so much more.”
Ju Do-gyeom shook his head seriously.
“Don’t worry about it. Think nothing of it.”
He knew it was true.
It was indeed a rare dish.
Without the Universal Chef profession, such an effect wouldn’t appear at all; expensive Mana Stones had gone into it, along with monster ingredients.
But put another way, it was also something he could remake whenever he wished.
‘Money’s become comfortable enough thanks to all this.’
Surely he could manage this small gesture of hospitality?
But Lee Young-sik and Lee Seo-ah’s hearts received it differently.
“You really didn’t have to share something this precious…….”
“I’ll accept your kindness with gratitude.”
…….
No, truly it wasn’t such a great thing.
His mouth began to open, then closed again.
On second thought, there was nothing harmful about it.
A tycoon chairman.
And his precious daughter.
A Returnee who had won the favor of both.
It would surely prove helpful in many ways going forward.
So Ju Do-gyeom simply nodded lightly and spoke.
“Would you care for another bowl?”
“…!?”
“…!!”
“That’s more than enough. Please, eat your fill before you go.”
“Well, if you insist…….”
“I appreciate it.”
The discomfort of eating Dungeon Ingredients evaporated from their minds entirely.
* * *
The move was set for a few days later.
Lee Young-sik and his daughter said they could do it right away, but Ju Do-gyeom refused them.
A message had arrived.
Kim Han-ryul – Ready. Team Leader, when are we leaving?
Two days ahead of the promised week.
The move could wait until after they cleared the dungeon.
That’s what Ju Do-gyeom thought, and he sent his reply.
Ju Do-gyeom – Fast work.
Kim Han-ryul – I’m the type who does things right once I set my mind to it. (laughing rabbit emoji overflowing with confidence) So when do we leave? Knowing your personality…….
Ju Do-gyeom – Come to my place first.
Kim Han-ryul – Figured you’d say that. I was thinking we’d leave right away.
Ju Do-gyeom – Let’s have a meal first.
Kim Han-ryul – ……?
Ju Do-gyeom – Yukkejang. Made it myself.
Kim Han-ryul – Huh…… Okay, got it. Should I come right now?
Ju Do-gyeom – Yes.
And so, not long after the wealthy heiress had left, a new guest entered Ju Do-gyeom’s home.
Ju Do-gyeom scraped the remaining Yukkejang down to the very bottom and served it to Kim Han-ryul.
‘I’ll try something different when we get back.’
The Mana Stones from a B-Rank dungeon would make it work even better.
He had no regrets.
In the meantime.
Kim Han-ryul took in the sight of Ju Do-gyeom’s home and wore the same look in her eyes that Lee Young-sik had, but she sat down without saying a word.
Before her lay the bowl of Yukkejang.
Kim Han-ryul spoke with an astonished expression.
“Wow, our Team Leader. You even do this kind of service. You’re approved. No wonder you’re the Team Leader. Mmm……! The aroma. You’ve cooked quite a bit, haven’t you? And the color looks great too?”
“It’s a rare dish.”
“Out of nowhere? Bragging about yourself?”
Kim Han-ryul laughed, a soft snort of disbelief, and lifted the spoon to the broth.
Her expression froze for a moment.
Then her movements quickened.
Gasps of wonder tumbled from her lips in quick succession, no different from what the wealthy heiress had uttered.
“Delicious! Absolutely incredible! This is seriously amazing! Team Leader, what is this? Why are you such a good cook?”
Ju Do-gyeom was pleased, but kept it hidden and asked quietly.
“How’s your Mana?”
“My Mana? What do you……? Huh?”
Kim Han-ryul’s already wide eyes swelled even larger, as though they might burst.
“What? Why is my Mana…….”
“It’s my skill. The effect comes from cooking it with Fat Bird and Mana Stones.”
“Ah……?”
“You might feel some resistance to it…….”
“Are you serious! You’re insane! Insane! Why is your team service like this?”
“…….”
“Is there any more? If this broth is what I think, I could eat the whole pot…….”
“It’s all gone.”
“Cruel. How could you use it all up like that…….”
“I’ll make more when we return.”
“……Is it easy to make?”
“It’s possible.”
Ju Do-gyeom nodded slowly.
Kim Han-ryul’s pupils glistened with emotion as she looked at him.
“Team Leader…… You. You’re a really good person.”
“That’s oddly phrased.”
“Does that really matter?”
“…….”
Ju Do-gyeom shook his head.
Instead, he gazed at Eve’s Gift in his inventory for a moment, then closed it.
‘It’s not something I need right this second anyway.’
Better to give it when it would serve him more efficiently.
That resolve had settled the matter.
With her belly full from a hearty meal prepared by the Universal Chef, Kim Han-ryul spoke.
She said:
“Anyway, I’ve made up my mind too, so let’s go. You said we were hitting a B-rank dungeon, right? Where? If it’s somewhere relatively manageable, it could just be you and me in a two-person party…….”
“The Occupied Marquis Border Fortress.”
“……?”
“We leave right now. Let’s form the party immediately.”
In the room.
Ju Do-gyeom’s hand extended toward her.
Kim Han-ryul flinched backward at the sight of it.
Ju Do-gyeom tilted his head in confusion.
“What are you doing?”
Kim Han-ryul asked, her voice trembling.
“Just now…… what did you say?”
“I asked what you’re doing…….”
“No, wait——”
“We leave right now——”
“Hold on!”
“The Occupied Marquis Border Fortress?”
A flicker of recognition crossed Ju Do-gyeom’s eyes.
He understood her reaction.
The Occupied Marquis Border Fortress.
By current standards, a B-rank dungeon that had proudly claimed the eleventh spot on the Hunter Community’s list of worst dungeons.
“You want the two of us to go there?”
“Yeah. It’ll be terrifying, sure, but——”
“No. I can’t. I won’t. Absolutely not. This is suicide, no matter how you wrap it up. If I die out there, you won’t even take responsibility, will you? All I’d end up as is some well-preserved ghost wandering around looking for a meal. So——”
“Kim Han-ryul.”
“Don’t. No matter how you call my name, my answer is still no——”
Ju Do-gyeom retrieved Eve’s Gift from his inventory.
“What’s this?”
Ju Do-gyeom spoke tersely.
“System information share.”
Then Eve’s Gift’s abilities appeared before Kim Han-ryul’s eyes as well.
『Eve’s Gift』
『Expands whatever slots the user possesses.』
“……!!”
The moment her eyes widened.
Ju Do-gyeom placed Eve’s Gift back into his inventory.
Then he spoke:
“If you won’t go, I can’t help it. Unfortunately, we’ll have to part ways here and I’ll find other party members——”
“What are you talking about, team leader? You only have me, Kim Han-ryul, as a team member. I’m the one who’ll stay with you forever.”
Kim Han-ryul asserted herself matter-of-factly.
A bead of drool hung at the corner of her red lips, on the verge of falling.
Ju Do-gyeom smiled faintly and extended his hand.
Kim Han-ryul grasped it immediately.
The party formed naturally.
Ju Do-gyeom spoke:
“Dungeon entry. Destination set. The Occupied Marquis Border Fortress.”

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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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