The Regressed EX-Class Martial God Decided to Become a Thousand-Star Hunter - Chapter 49

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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 49
49.
Ju Do-gyeom, receiving the question, turned to look at Kim Han-yul.
Beyond the translucent veil, her eyes were etched in calm darkness, deep as obsidian.
Seeing him, Kim Han-yul waved her hands urgently from side to side.
“No, I didn’t mean you have to tell me. It’s just curiosity. Curiosity, but if it seems like I’ve overstepped, you can scold me! I’ll listen. I’m sorry.”
Ju Do-gyeom slowly parted his lips.
“Kim Han-yul.”
“Uh, yes?”
“There’s no need to apologize at all.”
“Really?”
“And you don’t need to hold back. Just be yourself.”
Kim Han-yul knew it too.
That she was growing more and more uneasy around Ju Do-gyeom.
More so as time passed, even compared to when they first met.
She didn’t know why.
Was it because he was her team leader?
Because she thought he was someone truly worthy of respect?
All of that could be reasons, but somehow it felt like something more.
Kim Han-yul smiled awkwardly and spoke.
“Ha, haha… was I being that unnatural?”
“Yes.”
“Is it… bothering you?”
……
Without answering, Ju Do-gyeom nodded and rose from his seat, heading toward the Bunker.
Kim Han-yul made no move to follow him.
The way things felt, he’d be back out in moments.
Her instinct proved right.
Ju Do-gyeom returned from the Bunker.
In both hands he carried beer cans, their surfaces beaded with cool condensation.
Catching the can he tossed her almost by reflex, Kim Han-yul asked with wide eyes.
“But didn’t you say you don’t drink in dungeons?”
“This is a rest area.”
“A rest area isn’t outside the dungeon though, is it?”
“It is to me.”
“You’re really an unfriendly team leader.”
Ju Do-gyeom opened his can first, and Kim Han-yul followed suit.
They clinked the cans lightly and brought them to their lips.
Gulp, gulp.
After several audible swallows, Kim Han-yul spoke.
“Come to think of it, this is the first time we’ve drunk together like this.”
She’d shared meals with him often enough.
Though in truth, she’d always felt that was more about practical necessity than affection.
His cooking bolstered mana—a stat that couldn’t be increased on Earth—significantly, and she was a member of his team.
So was that why?
The feeling now seemed remarkably fresh.
Her mood lifted.
Was it the alcohol?
Even her heart had grown quite at ease.
That was the reason.
Why words began spilling from her mouth so easily.
“I’ve been thinking, and I realized the reason I found you intimidating is probably because of that.”
“That?”
Kim Han-yul swept her black hair to the side.
Against her pure white neck and jawline, the Replica Jewel she’d fashioned into an earring gleamed with crimson light.
“I made it adjustable, so I just put this together simply. What do you think—does it suit me?”
“Is dodging questions a hobby of yours?”
“I just wanted to show it off. You gave it to me, after all.”
“It suits you.”
“I appreciate the lie, captain.”
“Get to the point.”
“Yeah, it’s not thrilling. Anyway, you know what I saw then? Your eyes. I really did see them. Hard to put into words…… that kind of… sadness? Regret? I’m not sure. Honestly, I’ve never seen eyes like that before.”
“…….”
Ju Do-gyeom tilted his Beer Can without speaking.
“That’s when I thought. I wish you didn’t have to look like that…… and…… uh…….”
“……Are you confessing something?”
“Pfffft-!”
Kim Han-yul spat out the beer she’d been drinking.
Her eyes blazed with disbelief.
“Are you insane? You think I’m in love with you?”
“That’s not what I meant, but the atmosphere…….”
“It’s just… that kind of thing. Pity, maybe? It might sound strange, but I’ve been a team lead too. I understand something of what you’ve been through—the hardship, the adversity. But you carry it all so much heavier than you need to, so I figured I’d better pull my weight as a team member. That’s all it was. Just… some stupid rambling, that’s all.”
“I understand. I understand, so calm down.”
“You misunderstood in the most ridiculous way possible!”
“I’ll apologize. So sit back down.”
Kim Han-yul, who had jumped to her feet, sank back into her seat with a long, heavy sigh.
“Ugh…… honestly, men…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“You can keep talking.”
“……You sure?”
“…….”
“Anyway, that’s it. You might not like it. But that’s what I felt. I wanted to stop being a burden and become a real team member—someone who actually supports you.”
“You’re already doing well.”
“More. Much more, frankly. You always tell me not to strain myself, but you’re the one pushing hardest every single day. You know that, don’t you?”
“……? This much isn’t even straining.”
“That…… that kind of thing really is…… just unbelievable…… ugh…….”
Kim Han-yul sighed again.
Looking at her, Ju Do-gyeom let out a quiet laugh.
“I can’t honestly answer that yet.”
“Huh? Answer what?”
“Your first question.”
How did Ju Do-gyeom know all this information?
Only after the conversation had wound its way around did the answer finally come back.
Understanding this, Kim Han-yul burst into laughter.
“Aha! So that’s it. You’re right—you have to keep your own cards hidden, after all…….”
“That’s not it.”
“Huh?”
“…….”
To be honest, Ju Do-gyeom wanted to tell her.
The secret of the Regression.
The future he had lived through.
The countless events that would unfold ahead.
But he couldn’t.
So many futures had already begun to change because of him.
And if the truth about the Regression spread to others?
Ju Do-gyeom understood the power of words.
He couldn’t predict what butterfly effects might result from it.
This was vastly different from simply sharing knowledge.
So he had no choice but to keep silent.
Someday, when he was more certain.
When he was sure he could protect everyone even while caught in such a storm.
“When that time comes, I’ll tell you everything.”
Ju Do-gyeom set down his Beer Can.
“What? Not drinking anymore?”
“I’ve had enough.”
After that, Ju Do-gyeom rose from his seat and turned back toward the Bunker.
“Mm…….”
Kim Han-yul let out a small sound and tilted her Beer Can again.
That was when it happened.
“Kim Han-yul.”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t misunderstand. Right now, you’re probably the person I trust most.”
“W-what? What did you just say?”
Ju Do-gyeom said nothing more, simply turning and stepping into the Bunker.
Kim Han-yul stood dumbfounded, staring at the closed door for a long moment.
“The person he trusts most? That’s… me?”
Was it the alcohol?
Her face flushed crimson.
“This is ridiculous. He tells me not to confess, and then he goes and says something like that?”
A breathless laugh escaped her.
“Ha… come on!”
And then—
“Ha, huh, ha, really… ha!”
Strange sounds continued to tumble out, but—
Her expression was soft, radiant with an impossible smile.
“Ridiculous. As if saying that’s going to make me listen to him better or something.”
Back in school, Kim Han-yul had been known as a brilliant troublemaker.
She was sharp and clever, but her talent for getting into scrapes was legendary.
‘He thinks he can lock someone like me into one little team?’
No. Absolutely not.
Kim Han-yul drained the Beer Can in her hand, then reached for the one Ju Do-gyeom had left behind.
Immediately after, a curse slipped from her lips.
“… Bastard. He barely touched it.”
If he was going to pretend, he should have thrown it away afterward to cover his tracks.
‘But that would be wasteful.’
Lucky for her, actually.
One can hadn’t been nearly enough.
Glug, glug.
The cold beer slid smoothly down her throat once more.
* * *
After waking from a good night’s sleep.
Kim Han-yul was retrieving the Bunker.
She grumbled as she did.
“If you’re only going to pretend, why bring it at all? That’s how you deceive people, you know. Seriously, boss.”
“I did drink it. I touched it to my lips.”
“Nobody calls that drinking. This is crazy. I can’t believe it. I’m never trusting you again.”
Kim Han-yul continued to grumble.
Ju Do-gyeom, seeing her return to her usual self, let out a soft chuckle and nodded.
They were about to resume their journey when—
Ju Do-gyeom shook his head toward Kim Han-yul.
Her grumbling cut off instantly.
Her eyes turned cold and alert.
Moments later—
Crack!
A group emerged from between the trees and underbrush.
“… !!”
The man at the very front froze when he saw them.
Among the companions who appeared behind him, a red-haired woman voiced her confusion openly.
“There are people here?”
As their shock deepened—
A towering shadow from the rear stepped forward and spoke.
“Don’t be alarmed, Amy.”
The figure who emerged was a tall, blonde man.
He stood a full head above his companions.
Clad in gleaming white armor—the kind that seemed plucked from medieval fantasy—he looked every bit a giant.
After studying Ju Do-gyeom and Kim Han-yul in turn, he spoke.
“I am Joris van den Berg of the Netherlands. These are my colleagues. And who might you be?”
Though his words were clearly in a foreign tongue, understanding them posed no difficulty.
Among Hunters, the System naturally activated the Translation Function.
Ju Do-gyeom stepped forward.
“Korean. Ju Do-gyeom.”
The Dutch Hunter Joris van den Berg’s eyes gleamed.
‘Not to be underestimated.’
Though the impression was brief, his gaze and expression alone made clear he was no easy opponent.
‘This complicates things. Of all the rotten timing…… Tsk.’
Of course, he kept such thoughts locked away, showing nothing of them on his face.
Joris van den Berg spoke with a genial smile.
“Ju Do-gyeom. Pleased to meet you. I thought only my team and the people I’d hired knew how to navigate this place. It seems word has reached Korea as well?”
“……I have no reason to answer.”
Joris van den Berg let out a soft sigh and continued.
“Hmm…… Wariness, then. Fair enough. Meeting another Hunter team down here—your reaction is exactly what I’d expect.”
Contact between Hunters within a dungeon.
In completely open spaces, it was fine.
With so many eyes watching, incidents rarely occurred.
But in a place as hidden and confined as this, it was different.
A fellow human could become far more terrifying than any monster, and in an instant.
Joris van den Berg spread both arms wide.
“Especially since I’m leading two teams at once—you’d have all the more reason to worry. I truly understand. But do calm yourself and hear me out. Have you never heard my name before?”
“…….”
Ju Do-gyeom remained silent.
Instead, Kim Han-yul, who had already recalled something, spoke up.
“Joris van den Berg. The White Knight.”
A renowned A-Rank Hunter from the Netherlands.
She deliberately omitted the rest.
No need to boost the other party further.
“Ah, the young lady seems well-informed about me. Then you should know there’s no reason to keep your guard up—I’m no villain, but a duly appointed knight sworn before His Majesty himself. I would never do anything dishonorable. So won’t you relax a moment and talk with us?”
His gaze returned to Ju Do-gyeom.
“I decline.”
“Now don’t…….”
“We’ll be moving on.”
Ju Do-gyeom turned sharply on his heel and walked in the opposite direction.
Kim Han-yul followed without hesitation.
Joris van den Berg watched them go with a steady gaze, then chuckled softly.
“A word of friendly warning, then—this Erosion Zone holds far more dangers than you seem aware of. So do take care. Unless you’ve a death wish.”
At that moment.
Ju Do-gyeom, who had been walking forward, stopped in his tracks and turned his head.
He met the golden gaze of Joris van den Berg—eyes the same bright shade as his hair—and replied calmly.
“I’d advise the same for you. Unless you’ve a death wish.”
After that, Ju Do-gyeom and Kim Han-yul disappeared into the Blue Light Forest.
Joris van den Berg watched them go with a vacant stare for a moment, then pressed a hand to his forehead and burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha—! Oh my—! Hahahaha—!”
Now that he no longer needed to hide his emotions, a murderous intent poured from his eyes with terrifying intensity.
Emil Kruger, his official team member standing beside him with an expressionless face, spoke.
“I’ve placed Tracking Magic on them. Joris, no matter where they go, we’ll locate them soon enough…….”
His voice cut off abruptly.
Gravity settled across his previously blank features.
Joris van den Berg stopped laughing and looked at him.
“What is it?”
“……The Tracking Magic just now—it was dispelled.”

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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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