Life Rebooted with Copy and Paste-Chapter 31. Sense of Discomfort

[Additional Effects]

- Earth Resistance + 75%

- Water Resistance + 75%

- Fire Resistance + 75%

- Wind Resistance + 75%

It took a bit longer than expected due to various incidents along the way, but Kim Do-Joon had finally maxed out his resistance to all four elements.

Can I still improve them beyond this?

Kim Do-Joon decided to test it by pulling another piece of leather.

[The item effect of the Skin of Elemental Snake (Earth) can be copied and pasted onto Kim Do-Joon.]

[Item effect available for copy-pasting:]

1. —

* Earth resistance is already at maximum.

Unsurprisingly, the resistance couldn’t exceed seventy-five percent. It’d be considered a miracle if it did.

Well, this is already incredible in itself.

Due to financial constraints, most people struggled to max out even one elemental resistance, yet Kim Do-Joon managed to max out all four—and for free, no less. It was a huge achievement.

Having reached his goal, Kim Do-Joon called Lee Ji-Ah to check in.

Click.

— Ah, hello Mr. Do-Joon. I was just about to call you.

“Did something happen?” Kim Do-Joon asked, puzzled.

— Congratulations are in order. You've been promoted to E-rank, Mr. Do-Joon. You'll receive the notification today.

“Oh, really?”

About time.

During the cooldown period when he couldn’t enter the labyrinth, Kim Do-Joon just kept clearing dungeons. Nevertheless, he felt pretty happy and accomplished.

— Now, you can request to join up to C-rank parties.

“That’s great.”

An F-rank Hunter could apply to D-rank parties, and an E-rank Hunter could apply to C-rank parties. The huge difference between C-rank and D-rank dungeons could potentially speed up his rank promotions.

The F-rank Hunters were sometimes called interns in the industry for this reason.

Does this make me a full-time employee? Kim Do-Joon thought. Smiling, he recalled his old job. Before acquiring his potion-crafting skill, he was just an ordinary office worker.

— Anyway, why did you call me, Mr. Do-Joon? Is it about a dungeon?

“Yes. Can you please find an elemental dungeon for my next run? The rank doesn’t matter.”

— An elemental dungeon? Is there any particular reason for that?

“I just want to experience different types of dungeons.”

— Okay, got it.

It wasn’t common for newbie Hunters to venture into various types of dungeons. Most preferred to start at lower difficulty, gradually getting used to dungeons.

— Alright, I’ll look into it.

Thankfully, Lee Ji-Ah didn’t find his request suspicious.

“Thank you as always.”

— I’m simply doing my job, so no need to thank me.

Suddenly, Siwelin tugged on Kim Do-Joon’s shirt. He turned around and found her having trouble turning on the television. Apparently, the remote wasn’t working.

She had been enjoying variety shows lately. Upon closer inspection, Kim Do-Joon noticed that the batteries were inserted the wrong way. They probably fell out and were put back incorrectly.

“Alright, hold on a second,” Kim Do-Joon said.

Kim Do-Joon fixed the batteries and turned on the TV. Siwelin smiled brightly and quickly settled on the sofa, which made Kim Do-Joon chuckle.

— Is someone there with you?

“Yeah, my niece started living with me last week,” Kim Do-Joon answered casually.

— Oh, really? Didn’t you mention not having any relatives before?

“It’s more like we lost contact for a while...”

Kim Do-Joon had to explain to Lee Ji-Ah the same thing that he had told Jung Da-Jung the other day. Lee Ji-Ah, like Jung Da-Jung, did not pry further.

After some small talk, they ended the call.

Now, let’s see...

He’d gone to the Elemental Island, the Middle Orc Kingdom was still on cooldown, and his application for a new dungeon match was still pending. Furthermore, the shop would remain closed until Siwelin could read and write fluently.

In other words, Kim Do-Joon had some free time. Although he could simply take a break, He had no intention to relax; he would spend this time training.

Just like before his Hunter exam, Kim Do-Joon spent his days alternating between going to the hospital and the training ground.

***

NL Tower, located in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam, was the headquarters of the Karma Guild. Some questioned the need for such a tall building for what was essentially just a group of hunters, and normally, they’d be right. But when it came to large guilds, it was another story.

Most guilds were just small teams of a few hunters, whereas large guilds owned multiple such teams. They also had in-house production teams that took care of various materials harvested from monster corpses and dungeons, handled storage and research, and performed many other tasks no ordinary person could imagine.

To top it off, they also had to consider personnel, support, and welfare for Hunters and staff. Hence, a single building was hardly sufficient.

On one of the upper floors of the massive NL Tower, though not the topmost, was Oh Sang-Jin's office.

“Damn it!” Oh Sang-Jin shouted.

Bang!

Oh Sang-Jin stormed into his office and slammed the door so hard that it nearly broke. He was flushed red, and his breathing was ragged.

“Fuck! How dare they humiliate me! What am I supposed to do if it doesn’t work out?! Shit!”

He vented his frustration on his innocent desk and cabinet, something he always did after a senior staff meeting. As such, the office furniture had to be replaced almost daily.

Just then, a man in a black suit burst in.

Bang!

“Young Master!”

Veins bulged on the neck of the furious Oh Sang-Jin. “Hey, Punk! Walk quietly, will you?”

“You often do the same, though, Young Master,” the young man replied.

“Oh, so you’re complaining?! Why don’t you be the young master instead?!””

Jang Dae-Hoon—the man in a suit—quickly backed down. He was a veteran who had served Oh Sang-Jin for years. Most people in the guild followed his older brother Oh Tae-Jin nowadays, leaving Jang Dae-Hoon as one of Oh Sang-Jin’s few allies. Hence, Oh Sang-Jin could not simply dismiss him.

Oh Sang-Jin sighed deeply. He then snarled, “So, what is it? If it’s not important, there will be consequences.”

“Well, you see...” Jang Dae-Hoon hesitantly continued, “Do you remember Kim Do-Joon, the guy you told me to keep an eye on? He’s been put in the same party as Gwak Dong-Gyu.”

“What? Who?”

“The guy from the Hunter exam.”

Oh Sang-Jin tapped on the table as if he finally remembered. “You mean the herb guy? The one who ended our two billion rookie's career?”

“Yes, that one.”

Oh Sang Jin had certainly instructed Jang Dae-Hoon to monitor Kim Do-Joon, but it had since completely slipped off his mind. Moreover, there had been no news about Kim Do-Joon since then, so he no longer paid the matter any attention.

“Isn’t Gwak Dong-Gyu on vacation?” Oh Sang-Jin asked.

“He is. Apparently, he’s engaging in some hobby,” Jang Dae-Hoon replied.

“Ha! I see.” Oh Sang-Jin smirked.

Calling it a hobby is quite a stretch. Well, better than labeling it as training, at least.

“What’s that herb guy’s affiliation again?” he asked.

“He’s not affiliated with any guild,” Jang Dae-Hoon replied.

“What? How come?”

“Well, I’m not sure...”

As an organization, a guild didn’t just support its Hunter from the sidelines. It also played a role in protecting their interests and ensuring their safety in case of an accident or a dispute. That was why Hunters joined a guild. Of course, they earned slightly less compared to working alone, but the benefits outweighed the losses. Kim Do-Joon, who wasn’t a part of any guilds, had no one to back him up. Now, he was in the same party as Gwak Dong-Gyu.

“Which dungeon?”

“The Lava Cave in Sangam-dong.”

Oh Sang-Jin remembered that place pretty well. After all, the Karma Guild handled the initial exploration of the Lava Cave. The timing couldn't be more perfect.

Haha, I’m such a lucky guy!

Merely being aware of Kim Do-Joon’s presence made Oh Sang-Jin uneasy. But now, with the right person in the right place, everything seemed to fall into place.

“Director Jang, get in touch with Gwak Dong-Gyu,” he ordered.

"Are you sure about this? This might result in unnecessary problems..."

"Don’t you know how much trouble that herb guy caused me?! Just thinking about it keeps me up at night!"

In truth, Oh Sang-Jin had completely forgotten about him until now.

Jang Dae-Hoon was briefly dumbfounded but quickly regained his composure. Fortunately, Oh Sang-Jin didn’t notice.

"Understood. What should I tell him?" Jang Dae-Hoon asked.

Oh Sang-Jin pulled out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. "Tell him that the dungeon is a layered root one and is still unreported."

***

Dungeon matching usually took a few days, especially when The Hunter needed specific conditions to be met. Hence, Kim Do-Joon used that time to shuttle between home, the hospital, and the training ground. Then, after receiving the call about the dungeon match, he went to Sangam-dong.

"Is this the place?" Kim Do-Joon muttered.

He was in the middle of a park that had a view of the Han River visible in the distance. If not for the hideous roots growing there, it’d be a serene spot perfect for couples. A group of six people had assembled, surrounded by barricades, guards, and parked cars.

Kim Do-Joon approached the group of Hunters. "Hello, my name is Kim Do-Joon. Seems like I'm the last to arrive."

"No, no, it's all good.” A man stood up and offered him a handshake. “I'm Gwak Dong-Gyu, the leader of this mission."

As Kim Do-Joon accepted it, he noticed the man briefly scanning him, as if assessing him. Kim Do-Joon didn’t find it unusual, though, since they would be teaming up to clear the dungeon ahead.

"Huh? Wait a second... Aren’t you...?”

A familiar voice came from the side, prompting Kim Do-Joon to turn around. True enough, he recognized the face.

"Mr. Hwang Hyun-Woo?"

It was the owner of the store that Kim Do-Joon had visited a few days ago.

"Yes! Wow, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Hwang Hyun-Woo grinned, marveling at how small the world was.

Somewhat taken aback, Kim Do-Joon shook his hand as well. Who’d have guessed that he’d meet the store owner again so soon?

"Do you two know each other?" Gwak Dong-Gyu asked.

"Well, we’re acquianted. I bought some items from him before," Kim Do-Joon explained.

"I run a small weapon shop. Haha."

Hwang Hyun-Woo laughed. Like a seasoned salesman, he didn’t miss the opportunity to hand out business cards to the party members.

"Oh, I see." Gwak Dong-Gyu nodded. He turned his scrutinizing gaze to Hwang Hyun-Woo, who didn’t notice anything.

Must be a habit.

Then again, considering Gwak Dong-Gyu hunted monsters for a living, it wasn’t strange for him to develop such a habit. Not wanting to be outdone, Kim Do-Joon discreetly examined others with his insight skill.

[Hwang Hyun-Woo]

Compatibility

- 14%

Hwang Hyun-Woo's Compatibility was 14%, putting him in the upper E-rank. He should be able to pull his weight in the D-rank dungeon they were about to raid.

The moment Kim Do-Joon’s gaze landed on Gwak Dong-Gyu, he was stunned briefly.

[Gwak Dong-Gyu]

Compatibility

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- 48%

48% Compatibility?

The man was on the same level as the named monsters in the Orc Kingdom. Based on the association’s standards, shouldn’t Gwak Dong-Gyu be around a low B-rank?

Wait. When he applied, didn’t he say he was a D-rank?

In the association’s database, Gwak Dong-Gyu was definitely listed as a D-rank. Why was his Compatibility around the B-rank range?

Something’s off...

A sense of unease crept over Kim Do-Joon.