The Regressed EX-Class Martial God Decided to Become a Thousand-Star Hunter - Chapter 60

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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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Chapter 60
Episode 60.
To put it bluntly: it was a dud.
After Staff Technique came Fist Technique, and after that came Footwork Technique.
On the second day, Kim Han-ryul struck the sand bag until his palms turned crimson.
“Team lead, at this rate I won’t have any palm lines left.”
On the third day, his feet tangled and he rolled across the Training Room floor.
“The feet! Why do I only have two!?”
“Two is enough. Again.”
The variety of groans changed daily, but the outcome stayed the same.
His movements improved noticeably, yet the skill acquisition message never appeared.
And how was Ju Do-gyeom faring?
Every time he demonstrated, his martial arts from his past life registered steadily in the System.
Three new lines appeared on his Skill Panel in four days.
Ju Do-gyeom succeeded; Kim Han-ryul did not.
He didn’t know why.
But one thing had become certain.
‘I’m the only one on Earth who can acquire skills right now.’
At least, that was a relief.
If any other Hunter besides Ju Do-gyeom could also acquire skills on Earth, it would mean the next phase was Mana enhancement.
Wasn’t that good?
No.
Because what came next was crystal clear.
Dungeon Eruption.
A future where monsters burst explosively out of Dungeons, and Earth becomes a Dungeon itself.
Even if that day arrived someday, it was still premature.
‘Of course, I should keep in mind that this time around could accelerate things faster than before…….’
But still, repeating myself:
‘……for now, it’s manageable.’
He had no choice but to feel reassured.
* * *
And the next day.
A message came from Kim Han-ryul.
Kim Han-ryul – Come on out. We’ve got a promise to keep, right?
Ju Do-gyeom – What promise?
Kim Han-ryul – Don’t tell me you forgot? You said there were conditions if you trained quietly, remember?
Ju Do-gyeom – So…… you’re using that now?
Kim Han-ryul – Yeah. I’ll come pick you up, so get dressed nice.
And so Ju Do-gyeom found himself getting into Kim Han-ryul’s car in the parking lot.
Inside the automobile with its loud exhaust note, Kim Han-ryul spoke.
“My request is for you to hang out with me all day today.”
“Hang out.”
“Yeah. No Dungeons, no training, just hanging out. Any problem with that?”
“……No.”
There was no problem.
He simply hadn’t thought about it.
And shortly after.
“…….”
The second floor of a large Cafe with floor-to-ceiling glass walls.
Ju Do-gyeom, sitting across from Kim Han-ryul by the window, was silent.
The area was too loud.
“Hey, that person…… isn’t that them?”
“Who?”
“That video. The one from the Erosion Zone.”
“Oh? I think it is? No way. In the flesh.”
“And that’s the Illusionist right next to him. Yeah, it’s them.”
Whispering with no attempt to hide.
Sidelong glances.
The real spectacle was the table next to them.
Three Hunters, laughing loudly while wearing Equipment Bags.
The moment they recognized Ju Do-gyeom, their voices dropped.
Their backs straightened, and the casual slouch gave way to proper posture.
No one had told them to.
Moments later, one of the three approached carefully and bowed his head.
“Um… I watched your video. Would it be all right if I asked for a handshake?”
Ju Do-gyeom studied the offered hand for a moment, then took it.
“Thank you so much!”
The Hunter returned to his seat and spent a long time staring at his own palm.
His companions’ envious slaps on his back were audible from across the room.
Emboldened, another one approached Kim Han-ryul and asked for a handshake as well.
“We’re fans of yours too, sir!”
“Oh? Yes, yes indeed.”
Kim Han-ryul replied with studied nonchalance, but he was shaking hands with both of his.
After that somewhat noisy exchange had passed,
Kim Han-ryul shrugged and asked,
“How do you feel? Team Leader. Now that you’re experiencing fame firsthand?”
……
“Why so quiet?”
It wasn’t that he had nothing to say—he was choosing his words.
A shallow sigh escaped him inwardly.
There was genuinely nothing wrong with it.
The two of them spending all day together like this.
It wasn’t difficult, nor did it cost him anything.
It was simply unfamiliar.
Being out in a crowded place, face on display.
The gazes falling on him carried curiosity rather than malice.
Though he had experienced something similar back when South Korea was still intact, just before his peak years—
‘How many years ago was that?’
Still, to say it again, it wasn’t bad.
He had decided to pursue fame, after all.
He would need to grow accustomed to this sort of thing.
If anything, things were still comparatively quiet now.
In this era.
The popularity of renowned Hunters transcended imagination.
Kim Han-ryul observed Ju Do-gyeom with an amused snort.
“Heh. Awkward, isn’t it? Uncomfortable? Want to leave?”
He looked quite pleased with himself.
He seemed intent on avenging all those days of grueling training he’d put Ju Do-gyeom through.
Ju Do-gyeom let out a soft laugh, set down his cup, and answered calmly.
“No. It’s fine.”
“…What?”
“Better than I expected. I’ve adapted.”
It wasn’t a joke or an exaggeration.
Once he’d decided this was necessary work and that he needed to grow accustomed to it, his body and mind genuinely settled into ease.
Kim Han-ryul seemed to read him correctly.
“Tch. Boring. You really did adapt fast, didn’t you?”
She even pouted her lip in disappointment.
“Don’t pout about it.”
“I’m not pouting. Who said I was pouting?”
“You just clicked your tongue.”
“That was… that was just because the coffee’s bitter.”
“While you’re drinking iced chocolate?”
“…Shut up.”
Kim Han-ryul turned away sharply, her ears flushing slightly.
After a moment of gazing out the window, she continued, absently playing with her straw.
“Besides… this kind of thing is necessary too.”
“This kind of thing?”
“Your daily life, Team Leader. Home, Dungeons, training grounds. That’s it. How can a person live on just those three? You need to enjoy some leisure sometimes.”
……
“You’re always telling me not to overwork myself. Meanwhile you’re the one pushing the hardest.”
There it was again.
Ju Do-gyeom searched for a rebuttal, then gave up.
None was forthcoming.
“……All right, let it slide.”
“Let it slide? Be grateful and just enjoy yourself, Team Leader.”
Ju Do-gyeom smiled faintly and turned his gaze toward the window.
The commotion persisted, but no one was approaching them directly anymore.
Their fame had plateaued at precisely this level.
It was exactly what he’d wanted.
* * *
The movie theater came after the cafe.
The film Kim Han-ryul had chosen was an animation featuring adorable animals—a choice that reflected his genuine taste.
She watched with sparkling eyes, seeming quite delighted.
Ju Do-gyeom had found it rather entertaining as well.
In this age, most action films had fallen out of favor.
It was unavoidable.
Open NewTube and Hunter footage poured out in torrents.
More visceral than your average action picture, and far more authentic in its combat.
Though the more extreme clips were filtered out, of course.
Action cinema simply couldn’t compete.
After they finished watching the film.
“That was absolutely amazing. I feel so healed and refreshed! What did you think, Team Leader?”
“It was fine.”
“You must have really enjoyed it. You’re smiling.”
“I am?”
Ju Do-gyeom tilted his head uncertainly.
Kim Han-ryul made a finger-gun gesture and spoke.
“I see everything.”
……
“Anyway, let’s go. Next stop!”
And so Kim Han-ryul led Ju Do-gyeom onward.
The next destination she guided him to was a fine dining restaurant.
It was no ordinary establishment.
Without a reservation, you’d wait months—one of Blue Zone’s most coveted restaurants.
When she gave the reservation name at the entrance, the manager’s eyes widened slightly.
He recognized their faces.
Without a word, the manager ushered them to a window table overlooking the nighttime cityscape.
Then he addressed Ju Do-gyeom.
“It is an honor to meet you. We hope you enjoy your meal with us.”
The manager bowed deeply and withdrew with great courtesy.
Kim Han-ryul kicked Ju Do-gyeom’s shin beneath the table and whispered.
“See? Even the manager recognizes us.”
“……Why are you so thrilled about this?”
“My Team Leader is being treated with respect—why wouldn’t I be thrilled? Who else would be?”
Her matter-of-fact answer left Ju Do-gyeom at a loss for words.
The courses were magnificent.
With each new plate, he’d take one bite, pause, then examine it more closely—occupational habit, unavoidable really.
What was remarkable.
‘……I could replicate this.’
That judgment had crystallized.
Moreover, if he could produce cuisine at this caliber, he sensed powerfully that the Universal Chef skill’s effects would amplify considerably.
Kim Han-ryul spoke.
“What are you thinking about, Team Leader?”
“……I was thinking there’s much to learn here.”
“Now that’s high praise from you.”
Kim Han-ryul giggled and raised her glass.
Then she asked suddenly.
“When did you make this reservation, anyway?”
“When did I?”
“The day training started.”
In other words.
He’d mapped out this entire day before even mentioning the conditions.
Whether it was meticulous planning or brazen presumption.
Ju Do-gyeom mulled it over for a moment, then decided not to make an issue of it.
‘It’s true—thanks to him, I got a full day of rest.’
The first time since his regression, and even in his past life, consumed as he’d been by the grind of survival, he’d never known such complete repose.
It was a first.
Enough to draw a smile without thinking.
More than anything.
‘The food was delicious too.’
That was all that mattered.
* * *
The last stop of the day was a shop sign in a back alley of the Downtown Area.
[Alzzasanghoe – Hunter Equipment Purchase and Consignment]
Kim Han-ryul had left some unused spoils from the previous dungeon here with the owner, whom he knew.
Today they’d come to collect payment.
“Welcome, welcome! My goodness, if it isn’t the Hunter!”
The moment the door opened, the shop owner shot up from behind the counter.
Kim Han-ryul’s footsteps faltered slightly.
‘……the Hunter?’
This man had been a regular customer since his Super Rookie days.
The same owner who’d half-teased him with remarks like “Can’t value that one, Hunter” and “Hunter, why’ve you been so scarce lately?”
Today, his posture was entirely different.
The reason was obvious.
A video that had recently flipped the hunter world upside down.
And the two people who’d been the stars of that video.
Kim Han-ryul’s reputation as a Super Rookie had shot up even higher, and Ju Do-gyeom, who appeared to be on the same team, had instantly climbed to equal standing.
‘Some are outright saying he’s better than me.’
The feeling wasn’t unpleasant.
It wasn’t wrong, after all.
The owner no longer asked about anything else.
That was the secret to surviving long in this business.
Instead, he placed a settlement receipt on the table before the two of them.
“Here’s the settlement. Eleven billion. Got you a fair price. That Staff especially—even broken in half, people were fighting over who’d buy it.”
“Nice work.”
“Ha, well, if you get more goods, please remember us first…… And if anything good comes in, I’ll contact your team right away.”
From “Hunter” to “the Hunter.”
From a buyer to someone who calls first.
Kim Han-ryul walked out of the shop with his shoulders thrown back and spoke.
“Man, you live long enough to see everything. Never heard so many ‘Hunters’ in my life. Hah.”
“Wasn’t he like that before?”
Kim Han-ryul lowered his voice.
“He’s not a con artist, but his personality isn’t exactly great.”
“……Then isn’t he fine?”
In times like these, as long as you weren’t a con artist in the hunter world, you’d already cleared half the bar.
“That’s why I keep coming back. Anyway, the change in treatment—that’s what matters.”
Kim Han-ryul placed a hand naturally on Ju Do-gyeom’s shoulder and spoke.
“Thanks to our team leader here?”
“……Pointless.”
Ju Do-gyeom shook his shoulder lightly, brushing off Kim Han-ryul’s hand.
Kim Han-ryul broke into a quiet laugh.
As it happened, the money had been wired directly to their account.
They’d tried to split the proceeds fifty-fifty, but Kim Han-ryul had refused.
“You did more work. You caught the Dragon, you took care of most of the White Knight side too. I’ve already gotten plenty—the Armor in full, and two Scrolls to boot. What more do I need?”
At the time, Kim Han-ryul’s expression had been quite firm.
Ju Do-gyeom nodded and took the money for now.
But privately, he was thinking something else.
‘I’ll have someone manage Han-ryul’s four-and-a-half billion separately.’
As it happened, he had someone in mind.
They’d return it to him with interest when the time came.
If I lose it?
‘Well, if I do, there’s nothing to be done about it.’
Either way, he’d think he’d given it to me, so there’s no way he’d ever know.
It was a brazen thought, but Ju Do-gyeom didn’t mind one bit.
Both of them had the same habit of taking without giving back.
“Team leader, what are you doing? Aren’t we going?”
“We are.”
Rather than heading straight to the parking lot, the two of them took a walk through the downtown streets at night.
It wasn’t a walk with any particular destination in mind.
Kim Han-ryul stopped once in front of a street vendor’s stall, then again at an item shop’s display window, chattering away each time.
A skewer they’d bought from the vendor was split in half, and one half was pressed into Ju Do-gyeom’s hand.
“Oh, that’s right. Next time we should go to a karaoke bar. I want to hear you sing, Team leader.”
“Don’t expect much.”
“Oh, so you can’t sing? Then I absolutely have to hear it.”
“……I never said there’d be a next time.”
“There will be, though.”
Kim Han-ryul was certain without any real basis.
Ju Do-gyeom didn’t bother to argue.
* * *
They took Kim Han-ryul’s car the rest of the way home.
The night lights of Blue Zone flowed past the window.
Kim Han-ryul, with his hands on the wheel, was humming when he suddenly asked a question.
“How was today? Be honest.”
“I don’t know.”
Ju Do-gyeom glanced out the window for a moment.
It was a day where he’d gained nothing and accomplished nothing.
His past self would have regretted such wasted time entirely.
Yet strangely, he didn’t feel that regret.
“……It wasn’t bad.”
“Hmm? Well, that’s good enough then.”
Ju Do-gyeom pretended not to notice the slight lift at the corners of Kim Han-ryul’s mouth.
Kim Han-ryul parked the car in the underground parking lot and spoke.
“We’ve arrived. Thank you for your hard work today, Team leader.”
“Something just occurred to me.”
Ju Do-gyeom unbuckled his seatbelt as he spoke.
“I’m thinking I should buy a car. It feels awkward to keep bumming rides.”
Immediately.
“Don’t.”
Kim Han-ryul spoke firmly, shaking his head.
“That’s quite the response.”
“Come on, why waste money like that? I can just drive you around all the time. I like driving. It’s nice.”
“……”
“Trust me with it. We’re a team, aren’t we?”
It was absurd.
The reason he shouldn’t buy a car was that Kim Han-ryul wanted to give him rides.
Even if he called it selfish, the same argument would just come back.
Having thought that much, Ju Do-gyeom shook his head and got out of the car.
“Go inside and rest. Kim Han-ryul.”
“You too, Team leader. See you tomorrow!”
Kim Han-ryul’s car pulled out of the parking lot, his hand waving through the window.
Ju Do-gyeom watched the receding taillights for a moment, then turned toward the common entrance.
That was when it happened.
Ju Do-gyeom’s footsteps stopped.
A sense of déjà vu washed over him.
What was it?
In that confusion.
The relaxed energy that had loosened throughout the day suddenly sharpened, his senses standing at full alert.
Then the vague sense of déjà vu became clear.
An intense sense of otherness flowing through somewhere in this parking lot.
Ju Do-gyeom spoke.
“Stop hiding. Come out.”
The answer came not in words.
Click-click.
The sound of dress shoes echoing through the underground parking lot.
And then.
Whoosh—!
The scent of peonies pierced the air at the tip of his nose.

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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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