The Regressed EX-Class Martial God Decided to Become a Thousand-Star Hunter - 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
62.
A shallow alliance.
Despite reaching that conclusion, Ju Do-gyeom couldn’t be entirely certain he could trust Mo Ran-hui.
So he watched the situation carefully for some time, just in case.
To put it plainly, nothing unusual happened.
Mo Ran-hui never returned.
No other suspicious incidents occurred either.
After confirming that much.
Ju Do-gyeom began making light Dungeon runs with Kim Han-ryul.
He had two objectives.
First, then.
In an environment other than Earth—was something after them?
The conclusion was the same.
Nothing had happened.
In the meantime, his second objective came to fruition.
Teaching martial arts to Kim Han-ryul.
Since he’d glimpsed her talent back on Earth, he saw no reason to hesitate.
With that in mind, he began transmitting two martial disciplines.
Myeongmok-gong and Ogam-tong Ki-gong.
His reasoning was clear.
For Kim Han-ryul, who wielded both gunfire and manifestation techniques simultaneously, eyes and senses were her weapons.
Myeongmok-gong, which honed dynamic visual acuity, would sharpen her shooting accuracy.
Ogam-tong Ki-gong, which refined sensory perception, would help her detect threats beyond her field of vision.
And once those two were perfected, he could teach her Archery as well.
‘Of course, assuming she wanted to learn.’
It was on their third Dungeon run that it happened.
“……!”
Kim Han-ryul, who had deliberately used only gunfire to fell the boss monster, suddenly went rigid.
Then.
“It’s up! Boss, it’s up!”
She pointed at the empty air and shouted.
It was clearly visible in her field of vision.
『Skill acquired: Myeongmok-gong (1-Star).』
『Skill acquired: Ogam-tong Ki-gong (1-Star).』
“Myeongmok-gong 1-Star! Ogam-tong Ki-gong too! Both of them!”
Then she started bouncing in place.
Hop, hop, hop.
Leaping while still holding her gun looked precarious, but she didn’t seem to care.
“This is insane, seriously. You learn a skill and just get it like that?”
Skill transmission.
It would become common later, but in this era it was rare.
Both teacher and student required considerable effort, so it couldn’t be helped.
As a result, it became known, but few had actually experienced it themselves.
Kim Han-ryul, thrilled and making a fuss, suddenly closed her eyes.
Then opened them again.
Then came more excitement.
“Whoa, boss. I can see that dark spot over there now. That corner—it was pitch black before, but now I can see everything. What? This actually works?”
After that, she closed her eyes completely.
“Look at this. Eyes closed and I still know where you are. Three steps to my left…… right? Or not?”
“Right.”
“Nuts. I’m a woman who can see with her eyes shut now.”
Ju Do-gyeom watched her with his arms crossed.
‘Fast, as expected.’
Three Dungeon runs.
In actual training time, just over ten hours.
She had acquired two martial disciplines in that short span.
Even for the basics, it wasn’t easy.
To be frank, it was talent.
Extraordinary talent at that.
A thought suddenly struck him.
Back at the Last Bastion.
What if he had taught properly back then?
Kim Han-ryul might not have died so miserably in the Earth Dragon’s Nest.
There might have been no throwing away his own life to save others.
It was a futile hypothetical.
But in this life, it was a hypothesis he could rewrite.
With his thoughts collected, Ju Do-gyeom spoke.
“Let’s head back.”
The Dungeon Conquest was complete.
『Dungeon Conquest has been completed.』
『Clear reward Magic Stones will be distributed.』
Since they hadn’t accomplished anything special, the reward was proportionally modest.
It was a familiar occurrence for ordinary Hunters.
* * *
Back home, Ju Do-gyeom found himself thinking.
‘Speaking of which, the Earth Dragon….’
The thought struck him to double-check while it was on his mind.
He opened his inventory and carefully examined one sealed item tucked away in a corner.
The Earth Dragon’s Egg.
He’d left it alone, but he’d never forgotten about it.
He knew that thing would grow robustly into the future calamity—the Earth Dragon.
Of course.
‘This time will be different.’
Because it had come into his hands, not the Dragon Lord’s—its original master.
The problem lay in the system message’s contents.
『Earth Dragon’s Egg – Rank: Unmeasurable』
『This is an Earth Dragon’s Egg. ??? is required for it to hatch.』
He couldn’t tell how the thing was supposed to be used.
Lightly, he touched the egg’s surface with his fingertip while it lay in his inventory.
That was when it happened.
『The user’s Dragon Blood Elixir triggers a response.』
“……?”
A brief message.
Yet one that seized his attention.
It had reacted to the Dragon Blood Elixir.
The name of the pill he’d swallowed not long ago.
Ju Do-gyeom took the egg out of his inventory to verify more precisely.
With a weighty feel, the egg-shaped sphere revealed itself.
“Oh? That’s the egg from back then. Why all of a sudden?”
Kim Han-ryul, who had been resting since their return, looked at him with questioning eyes, but he ignored him.
This came first.
He placed his palm against the egg’s surface.
Then he felt it.
A subtle tremor from within, as if something were fussing or urging him forward.
『The Earth Dragon’s Egg desires the user’s Dragon Blood Elixir.』
Kim Han-ryul asked.
“What changed? What’s it saying?”
“It wants my Dragon Blood Elixir.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s the name of the tonic I ingested recently.”
“Ah, the one you found back then in the Eroding Grassland…….”
Kim Han-ryul’s words trailed off.
Ju Do-gyeom had drawn a Chinese Blade from his inventory—one he kept as a spare—and placed it against his palm.
“Wait! Team leader!”
“……?”
“If that tonic’s name was Dragon Blood Elixir, maybe it doesn’t actually want real blood, right?”
“True enough…….”
Ju Do-gyeom’s eyes gleamed.
Then he placed his palm over the Earth Dragon’s Egg and began drawing out his Internal Energy, letting it flow.
The response was immediate.
Gulp.
As though quenching a thirst.
The egg drank in the energy that flowed toward it, swallowing greedily.
Gulp. Gulp.
Soon a faint light began to shimmer across the egg’s surface.
And then.
It stilled once more.
Swallow—!
Kim Han-ryul swallowed hard and spoke.
“Something’s… happening, isn’t it?”
Ju Do-gyeom checked the information window instead of answering.
『Earth Dragon’s Egg – Rank: Unmeasurable』
『This is an Earth Dragon’s Egg. ??? is required for it to hatch.』
The text remained unchanged.
The rank, the description, the question marks surrounding the hatching condition—all the same.
But now, he could hazard a guess at what those question marks concealed.
‘Dragon Blood Elixir. More precisely, the internal energy infused with Dragon Blood Elixir.’
He tried channeling a bit more of his internal energy as a test.
This time there was no response.
As though it had taken all it needed.
‘…… Perhaps it simply requires time.’
Something was changing, clearly enough.
In that case, all he needed to do was wait and observe.
Ju Do-gyeom sealed the egg deep within his inventory once more.
In the process, he spotted several items.
Lingfall Dragon Byproducts, their use still undetermined.
Precisely the sort of half-finished material he’d kept, unable to entrust it to anyone mediocre.
After a moment’s thought.
Ju Do-gyeom made his decision.
‘Perhaps now is the time…….’
It seemed he could meet with the Taesung Group people again.
* * *
That evening.
Not long after Kim Han-ryul had returned home, Ju Do-gyeom made a call.
It was Chairman Lee Young-sik.
–Oh, Ju Do-gyeom. I was just about to call you myself…….
“We think alike, it seems.”
–Ha-ha–! Would it be rude of me to speak first?
“Please do.”
–Well, you see…….
Lee Young-sik’s voice carried an unmistakable note of excitement.
After a brief pause, he continued.
–How about we meet in person tomorrow?
Ju Do-gyeom’s eyes lit up as he heard this.
His instincts were firing.
The bombshell Mo Ran-hui had mentioned—it had detonated exactly as expected.
So he answered with measured calm.
“That sounds fine.”
–……What?
A dumbfounded sound came through the receiver.
Lee Young-sik had gathered his nerve, fully prepared to catch him off guard, only to receive an instant acceptance without a moment’s hesitation in return.
–Hm…….
Lee Young-sik let out an involuntary groan.
He asked, his voice tinged with surprise.
–Don’t tell me you already knew it would come to this?
“I had my suspicions.”
–Suspicions? Where did you hear about it?
In Ju Do-gyeom’s mind.
Mo Ran-hui’s face flickered past, but this was not a conversation to have over the phone.
“Let’s meet tomorrow and talk.”
—No, you can’t just leave me hanging like this…
“It’ll be worth hearing, I promise.”
—Well, you’ve got me curious now. I’ll look forward to it. We can go into details when we meet.
“Yes.”
—Ah, and…
The words trailed off.
Instead, the sound of a swallow carried through the phone line.
Gulp.
Ju Do-gyeom spoke with a smile in his voice.
“I’ll have a good meal prepared.”
—Haha… well, this is a bit embarrassing, but I’d appreciate it. The truth is, the only meal besides my late mother’s that I’ve found myself thinking about is yours.
“I understand.”
—Right, right. Thank you for that. See you tomorrow, then.
The call ended on a pleasant note.
* * *
The following evening.
Lee Young-sik arrived alone, without any attendants.
Ju Do-gyeom greeted him at the entrance. “You came by yourself?”

He’d naturally assumed Lee’s daughter would come along.
“Ah, Seo-ah entered a Dungeon yesterday and hasn’t returned yet. I’m worried sick, but…”
Worry settled deep into his face as his words grew thin.
Yet only for a moment.
“She’ll manage well enough.”
His eyes, firm even as he pushed the worry down, didn’t waver.
He trusted her.
The path his daughter had chosen to walk.
All a father could do was believe in her from behind.
Watching him, Ju Do-gyeom smiled softly and spoke. “I prepared quite a lot of food—I hope that’s not a problem.”

“Don’t worry about that. I happen to have quite an appetite.”
“Seo-ah mentioned the same thing.”
“Our daughter takes after my eating habits. Hahaha!”
Lee Young-sik laughed warmly.
The two of them naturally settled across from each other at the table.
Rich braised short rib soup, stir-fried octopus, and an assortment of seasoned vegetable side dishes.
Lee Young-sik didn’t put down his spoon from the very first bite.
Slurp!
“This is absolutely delicious! Your skill’s improved even more!”
It was a genuine exclamation, all pretense stripped away.
A leading conglomerate chairman, sitting at a table, utterly disarmed.
Eyes closed over a single spoonful of broth.
Nodding continually over each piece of meat.
But Ju Do-gyeom was equally surprised.
He’d sensed it from the moment he tasted a few pieces while adjusting the seasoning.
The flavor had definitely deepened.
Enough that even he could tell by tasting it himself.
‘Is this because of the dining experience with Kim Han-ryul?’
The standard of taste engraved on his palate that day was being faithfully recreated through his fingertips.
It seemed to be the effect of his profession as a Universal Chef.
‘If that’s the case…’
Deliberately seeking out fine cuisine might not be a bad choice going forward.
The Universal Chef skill grew stronger the more delicious the food became.
He had a keen instinct that the increase in flavor had significantly boosted his Magic Power gains as well.
Adding to that were the Superior Magic Stones he’d obtained from the Eroding Grassland.
He’d sold most of them, but the rest had gone into his cooking.
Could it be the combined effect of Cheonji Muguk Singong as well?
Ju Do-gyeom found himself struck by a sudden realization.
‘At this rate, I might be able to accumulate Magic Power on Earth just as efficiently as in the Dungeons.’
Of course, only while eating.
There’s a limit to how much a person’s stomach can hold.
If I stuffed myself recklessly, I’d damage my health before I’d see any real boost to my Magic Power.
‘And the Magic Stone’s effects will diminish over time.’
Still.
‘This is genuinely excellent.’
『For 12 hours, physical recovery is substantially enhanced.』
『For 12 hours, Magic Power recovery is substantially enhanced.』
『For 6 hours, reflexes are slightly improved.』
『For 3 hours, elemental resistance is slightly increased.』
Timed buffs were still stacking in various ways.
Among them, some had been upgraded from minor to substantial improvements.
Was Lee Young-sik, who’d been contentedly working his spoon, experiencing something similar?
“Oh!”
Lee Young-sik froze, spoon in hand, and cried out.
A message had flashed before his eyes.
『Magic Power Rank Advanced: D ⇒ D+』
“What’s wrong?”
“My Magic Power rank just went up again. Can you believe it? A person who doesn’t even enter Dungeons, and this happens…… I’m at a loss, really.”
His eyes toward Ju Do-gyeom filled once more with a surge of gratitude.
“I feel like I’m just racking up debts I can never repay in this lifetime.”
“That’s exactly the minimum you should be doing for me.”
Lee Young-sik was beginning to understand now.
What Ju Do-gyeom just said.
It wasn’t sincere—it was a joke.
He paused before answering.
“You devil! Don’t go teasing an old man like that.”
At this point, it felt right to trade jokes like this back and forth.
And so the meal ripened within that warm reproach and laughter.
* * *
In the end, food was left over.
Lee Young-sik hadn’t eaten as much as Lee Seo-ah.
Of course, there was also the fact that Ju Do-gyeom had prepared generously from the start with Lee Seo-ah in mind.
“What a waste…… leaving all this behind…….”
In Lee Young-sik’s face as he gazed at the remaining pot instead of an empty bowl lay genuine regret.
“Would you like to take it with you?”
“……Is that allowed?”
Rather than answer, Ju Do-gyeom went to the kitchen and returned with items he’d carefully selected—things least likely to spoil.
Lee Young-sik took the bundle like a child receiving a holiday gift, visibly delighted.
And so the table was cleared.
As the tea steeped, Lee Young-sik spoke first.
“So then.”
His voice had dropped a tone.
“First, you should tell me what’s happened these past few days, yes?”
The story Lee Young-sik relayed went like this.
Noh Beom-seok, the Hunter Association president.
His long-buried corruption cases were now unraveling one after another.
And apparently, the vice president’s abuse of power had been implicated as well.
It hadn’t hit the news yet, but it would within a day or so.
All of this had happened over the past few days.
And the public’s keen eye was already fixed entirely upon it.
Once the news broke, the masses would all be looking in that same direction.
Lee Young-sik laughed.
“Heh heh…… Of course people will be curious about the rookie Hunter who caught Jin U-seong. But the corruption scandal of the sitting Association president—one of only two S-Rank Hunters in all of South Korea—that’s far more sensational.”
And included in this was the fatigue of all those people who’d been exhausted searching for Ju Do-gyeom for so long, thanks to Lee Young-sik’s hand in the matter.
Having said that much, Lee Young-sik picked up his teacup and asked.
“Our side will draw a lot of attention away. I’m laying down enough of a smokescreen to hide your identity well enough.”
“I see.”
“So…… now tell me.”
“Tell you what, sir?”
“Hey, now! Don’t tease me like that. Tell me—how did you know we were meant to meet?”
Ju Do-gyeom, barely suppressing his amusement, answered calmly.
“Actually, Mo Ran-hui sought me out first.”
Pfft—!
Lee Young-sik sprayed out the tea he’d been drinking.
Ju Do-gyeom remained unfazed.
“S-sorry about that.”
“It’s fine.”
He wasn’t joking.
Ju Do-gyeom had grown quite practiced at moments like this.
There had been Kim Han-ryul, then Lee Seo-ah, and now Lee Young-sik today.
This was already the third time.
The third person to spit out what they’d been drinking.
Ju Do-gyeom quietly handed over a tissue.
Lee Young-sik accepted it and dabbed his mouth, releasing a hollow laugh.
“Ha… well, this is something.”
But despite the laughter, his eyes had long since stopped smiling.
So all that misdirection had come to nothing—Mo Ran-hui had still managed to approach Ju Do-gyeom after all.
“If I made a mistake, I apologize. I was so careful…”
Ju Do-gyeom shook his head.
“No. He was only suspicious about the Jin U-seong matter to begin with.”
“Not certainty, but he came looking anyway.”
“He must have seen the video.”
“Hmm…”
It was quite an accomplishment.
Impressive enough that Lee Young-sik had found himself clapping without thinking as he watched the footage.
But was it the sort of thing that would move someone as influential as Geomhwa?
His head tilted involuntarily.
Lee Young-sik spoke.
“I have a feeling this conversation is going to take a while.”
Both of his eyes had grown grave and distant in a way they rarely were.

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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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