The Regressed EX-Class Martial God Decided to Become a Thousand-Star Hunter - Chapter 67

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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 67
Episode 67.
A hollow laugh escaped unbidden.
Lee Seo-ah answered.
“Because it’s Ju Do-gyeom.”
Her voice carried an unmistakable note of pride.
Kim Han-ryul was momentarily at a loss for words.
“What? You’re saying that even now? Lee Seo-ah, you really admire our team leader that much?”
“A-admire? I respect him. Respect.”
Her pallid face flushed crimson in an instant.
Transparent as glass.
“……Strangely envious, actually.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”
Being that honest didn’t come easy, he imagined.
He was just biting back a wry smile when—
Lee Seo-ah spoke again.
“You were incredible too, Kim Han-ryul.”
“Huh? Me?”
“If I’d been alone, I wouldn’t have made it. Breaking the chain restraints, catching me at the end—you were far more impressive in actual combat than in training.”
“Oh, well, that’s just… ha ha ha!”
His ears flushed slightly as he laughed loudly.
Both of them were weak to praise.
Lee Seo-ah spoke.
“But won’t the Doppelgängers notice if you laugh that loudly?”
His lips sealed shut.
“……I’m sorry.”
Lee Seo-ah nodded slightly and smiled softly.
Kim Han-ryul caught her expression and laughed along with her.
Their first meeting hadn’t been particularly comfortable.
But once they’d fought back-to-back properly, a definite ease had settled between them.
Camaraderie had begun to bloom.
Kim Han-ryul spoke.
“……Rest a moment longer, then we move. The Doppelgängers will be catching on soon.”
“Understood.”
Lee Seo-ah answered.
More time passed.
A few minutes.
Just as their ragged breathing returned completely to normal—
the air itself shifted subtly.
Doppelgängers left no aura.
Yet that alien presence was unmistakable.
And it warped the very air.
Just as it did now.
The meaning was clear.
Lee Seo-ah and Kim Han-ryul exchanged a glance.
The two of them quickly concealed themselves behind the large furniture in the spacious room.
It happened immediately after.
Crash—!
The window shattered to pieces, and two shadows strode calmly into the chamber.
Black robes.
A massive axe.
Ju Do-gyeom’s face.
Two of them.
‘……Two?’
Kim Han-ryul and Lee Seo-ah, hidden behind the furniture, went deathly pale.
It had taken both of them everything they had to overcome one.
And now there were two.
Worse—they were already exhausted.
The two of them reached the same conclusion.
‘Run.’
‘We have to escape.’
Fighting again would be idiotic.
Lee Seo-ah gritted her teeth and wrung out what remained of her Mana.
To create an opening, to break free.
Violet light shimmered and bloomed, thin and trembling.
The two counterfeits, who had been scanning their surroundings with blank stares, lifted the Daebu simultaneously.
If they couldn’t find her, they’d simply shred everything.
That was the intent blazing from them.
A curse slipped unbidden from Kim Han-ryul’s lips.
“Damn it…….”
That was when it happened.
『Dungeon cleared.』
* * *
At that same moment.
The highest floor. The King’s Chamber.
Messages cascaded down over the grey ruins of the king’s corpse.
『Objective achieved. Doppelgänger King defeated 1/1.』
『Dungeon cleared.』
『Three-person party play active. Reward bonus increased 100%.』
『Personal contribution rate calculated: 74%.』
『Overwhelming.』
『Clear reward Mana Stones substantially increased.』
『Special item awarded: Doppelgänger King’s Core.』
『Special item awarded: Doppelgänger King’s Mana Stone.』
Two players receive 50%, three players receive 100%.
It seems like a modest increase, but it isn’t.
The probability of obtaining high-grade Mana Stones or artifacts rises proportionally.
It was worth building a team.
The contribution rate caught his eye.
74%.
In other words, the remaining quarter had been handled by two people.
‘As expected.’
For now, Ju Do-gyeom could handle everything alone.
But the future would be different.
Especially since the Calamity appeared.
Ju Do-gyeom’s lips curved into a smile as he opened his inventory to inspect the rewards.
Among the cascade of Mana Stones, two items stood out distinctly.
The first was a grey sphere the size of a fist.
『Doppelgänger King’s Core – Grade: Unique』
『Completely replicates a single target.』
Ju Do-gyeom’s eyes gleamed.
‘There it is.’
The reason Ju Do-gyeom had sought out the Doppelgänger Hotel the moment the three-person team was complete.
The Doppelgänger Hotel’s hidden piece.
This too was knowledge gained from Vivian in his past life.
-If you hunt the Doppelgänger King through the hidden route at that hotel, the core drops. The odds are 33.3 if you’re alone, 66.6 with two, and 99.9 with three. Neat, right? It practically screams “catch it as a trio.”
Missing only that 0.1% of bad luck amounts to a guaranteed drop.
That’s why he’d come here the moment the three-person team was formed.
And now that the core existed in the world.
No one else could ever obtain the same item.
Grade: Unique.
There was only one in all of existence.
The ability was simple, as written.
Completely replicate a target.
An object, a monster, a person.
Extremely powerful, yet unmistakably flawed.
When replicating a sentient being, the replica possesses the exact same consciousness.
Replicate a monster, and you add another one attacking humans.
Replicate the Calamity, and destruction accelerates twofold.
The man?
First, it would be unpleasant. Second, for all the reasons above, there’d be no point in using it.
This core holds no blind loyalty to its user.
But.
‘If it’s an object, that changes everything.’
An object without reason.
And if that object were unique in all the world—something that could never be duplicated—
One image crystallized in Ju Do-gyeom’s mind.
The Ten Thousand Forms Weapon.
His old trusted blade, set to appear at auction in France next month.
And into it, the Doppelgänger King’s Core.
The moment this thought took shape, Vivian’s words echoed through his mind once more.
—What a waste. If I still had that core, I would’ve given it to you.
—Why?
—You’re a Weapon Master. You can wield any weapon, and you have the Liang Yi Shen Gong besides. You’re capable of operating completely different weapons in perfect synchronization.
She was right.
But in actual combat, he hadn’t been able to exploit that properly.
The reason was simple.
Weapons capable of fully bearing his strength were extraordinarily rare.
Most such arms already had masters.
That was the problem.
Vivian had smiled ruefully, glancing at her Red Ring.
—This core would’ve been worth the most in your hands, after all.
Something he hadn’t obtained in his past life.
In this life, he’d secured it directly.
‘I’m already looking forward to it.’
Two Paired Formless Weapons.
Dual Ten Thousand Forms.
A configuration he’d never tested even in his previous life.
A faint smile tugged at his lips without his noticing.
There was nothing more reassuring than a treasure with a clear purpose.
Ju Do-gyeom tucked the core deep into his inventory.
The second item was a boss Mana Stone.
The Doppelgänger King’s Mana Stone.
It was the first boss Mana Stone he’d seen in a long time since the Corpse Giant.
‘I’ll cook this so we all share in it.’
A dish made with a boss-grade Mana Stone.
Its effects would be extraordinary.
There was no better reward for the two of them after their hard work today.
What should the dish be?
A long-simmered broth would be safe, but tonight he craved something grilled.
The team dinner menu was being decided in that very moment.
With his distribution of rewards complete, Ju Do-gyeom walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.
‘This one went smoothly, at least.’
In every Dungeon he’d entered recently, unforeseen variables had emerged.
So though he’d kept it hidden, he’d harbored some concern this time too.
The result had been clean.
Without trust, it wouldn’t have been possible.
‘One of the Doppelgängers those two faced would’ve been me, after all.’
Ju Do-gyeom knew this well.
Even at fifty percent of his full strength, how oppressive would he be for two still-developing hunters?
To reiterate.
The two of them had repaid that faith completely.
‘In any case.’
With the King dead, all the Doppelgängers in the hotel should have vanished.
The two would be making their way up soon.
It was as he allowed himself a moment’s leisure.
Suddenly.
Something grated against his senses.
Ju Do-gyeom’s gaze turned toward the windows.
The sky of a fake city lit by neon signs.
In one corner of it, black energy swirled like heat shimmer, forming a vortex.
The false sky warped outward from that point.
You could tell at a glance that this was no natural phenomenon.
And then.
『Achievement “First Trialist” has activated.』
『A new Trial has been discovered.』
『Entry Limit: 1』
『Time Remaining: 60, 59, 58……』
『Do you wish to enter? Y/N』
『Upon entry, all other party members currently in the Dungeon will be expelled.』
It was the first time he’d seen a message like this since acquiring the achievement in Eden.
Achievements were a Hidden Piece—hidden from the world until years later.
Their true purpose was revealed before his eyes now.
Complete unknown, untouched by the knowledge of his past life.
Yet there was no hesitation.
Entry limit: one person.
All other party members expelled.
Which meant the other two would be sent back to the safety of Earth.
He would bear the danger alone.
And given that it bore the name Trial, there would be rewards to match.
‘This works out perfectly.’
The only drawback was the tight time limit—no chance to warn them beforehand.
‘I’ll explain once I get out.’
It wasn’t as if this were a first or second occurrence.
He’d hear some complaints, sure—but had he ever been one to take such things to heart?
Ju Do-gyeom’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
* * *
Meanwhile.
The two in the guest room stood frozen at the sight before them.
The two impostors who had brandished the Daebu.
They melted away like candle wax, frozen in their final posture.
Gray-brown sludge seeped into the carpet and vanished.
And above it, messages flooded in.
『Dungeon conquest complete.』
『3-person party play active. Rewards bonus increased 100%.』
『Clear reward Mana Stone awarded additionally.』
『2 random Ability Stats from your current pool will increase substantially.』
『Strength Rank Increased C- => C』
『Agility Rank Increased C- => C』
The rewards poured before Kim Han-ryul’s eyes.
The same happened before Lee Seo-ah’s.
『……2 random Ability Stats from your current pool will increase substantially.』
『Mana Rank Increased D => D+』
『Stamina Rank Increased E+ => D-』
Lee Seo-ah’s eyes sparkled with light.
“……We… we made it.”
Kim Han-ryul sank to the floor where she stood.
As she counted the Mana Stones flooding her inventory, a broad grin spread across her face.
Dead but alive again, yet her accounting remained sharp.
Beside her, Lee Seo-ah checked her status window and her eyes went wide.
Life returned to a face that had stared death in the eye.
“I swear I thought my heart stopped. Why did the completion message pop right at that moment?”
“The King was defeated. Our team leader did it.”
“Right. While we were down here struggling, he tore through to the boss room solo. ……Now that I think about it, our team leader really is a monster.”
“Obviously.”
Lee Seo-ah laughed with satisfaction.
Kim Han-ryul started to say something, then held her tongue.
‘……This one’s got problems too.’
She simply shook her head side to side.
In the meantime, Lee Seo-ah’s gaze lingered on the spot where the fakes had melted away.
“……Though it is a bit of a shame.”
“What is?”
“…….”
Lee Seo-ah didn’t answer.
Kim Han-ryul regarded her with a curious expression, then pushed himself up on his knees.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted. Anyway, the Doppelgängers should all be gone by now, so let’s go find the team leader.”
“We’re not returning immediately?”
“A normal team would. But our team leader always has the next plan lined up, even after a Dungeon closes. It’s faster to go hear it and then move.”
“Just like the team leader to do that!”
Lee Seo-ah broke into a broad smile.
Seeing her, Kim Han-ryul clicked his tongue again.
“Do you know how many times you’ve said that today?”
He grumbled even as his feet turned toward the door.
Lee Seo-ah nodded and followed after him.
And just as the two of them reached for the handle—
『A party member has entered the Trial Dungeon.』
『Remaining personnel will be forcibly returned.』
“……What?”
“……Pardon?”
Their confused voices overlapped.
Their bodies were engulfed in light, and they vanished from that place.
* * *
Crash—!
The full-length glass shattered into fragments.
Ju Do-gyeom’s body leaped into the swirling darkness.
His vision flipped once.
Inside the vortex was a darkness with neither up nor down.
He was pulled forcefully toward some direction.
Ju Do-gyeom didn’t resist; he let his body surrender to the current.
When the world brightened again.
His ears opened before his eyes.
Roooaaaarr—!
It was a roar of acclaim.
Beneath his feet lay sand, and he stood in a vast circular arena.
The Colosseum.
Tiered stands stacked upon themselves stretched endlessly upward, densely packed with spectators whose voices thundered across the expanse.
They were not human.
Horned heads.
Scaled skin.
Faces of birds.
Even elves with elongated ears.
Without exception, they were non-human beings.
And the moment they spotted Ju Do-gyeom, their clamor died abruptly.
A silence descended upon the arena.
Then, a murmur began to spread.
“……What? A human?”
“A human is participating in the Trial?”
“The audacity!”
Jeers erupted in waves.
Ju Do-gyeom surveyed the commotion with indifference.
‘Other races. And in these numbers.’
He had never witnessed such a sight, even in his past life.
He was curious about what this Trial truly was, but there was no one here to answer.
‘……I’ll have to ask Vivian. Yet another question to add.’
Ju Do-gyeom slowly rolled his shoulders.

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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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