Life Rebooted with Copy and Paste-Chapter 22. Hidden Quest

Thwack!

Kim Do-joon struck a ghoul’s chest with his axe, which had a faint golden glow. A pale blue flame then ignited from the wound and quickly consumed the ghoul.

The divine axe’s purifying power made the ghoul scream in agony.

"Graaagh—!"

Although undead monsters typically did not feel pain, divine power was known to make them experience extreme agony. It was even rumored that the level of pain they felt could drive an ordinary person mad in an instant.

Nevertheless, Kim Do-Joon mercilessly exterminated it with another swing of his axe. He couldn't care less about how much a monster suffered..

He was making far quicker progress now. When he had first entered the labyrinth, it had taken him several swings to slice off a single limb.

Not bad at all.

Kim Do-Joon looked at his axe with satisfaction. In truth, “not bad” was an understatement, considering his hunting speed had tripled thanks to its divine element and his upgraded buffs.

Still, I have to avoid charging in recklessly.

His Compatibility was still too low, and far too many ghouls were dawdling in the front yard for him to jump in without a plan.

Kim Do-Joon’s strategy had not changed; he still waited for ghouls to stray from the horde before leading them away with the toss of a stone. However, he could now easily handle two or three at a time. With a bit of effort, even four was feasible.

Kim Do-Joon had it down to a science. Using an outpost as his base, he led stray ghouls toward himself and eliminated them. Whenever his stamina would run low, he would take a brief break and then resume the grind. He had become a well-oiled machine.

As if in a trance, he hunted with an intensity verging on monomania. Initially, he had called it quits after defeating a few monsters. Now, he hunted for hours on end.

Eventually, a new message appeared, signaling his next intermission.

[You have defeated a monster. You have gained Experience Points(EXP).]

[Your Compatibility has increased.]

Kim Do-Joon collapsed inside the outpost, worn to the bone. He opened his status window for the first time in a while.

[Yggdrasil System]

Name

- Kim Do-Joon

Age

- 35

Compatibility

- 29%

Stat Runes

- Strength Level 32, Agility Level 31, Vitality Level 29, Mana Level 29, Perception Level 34

Skill Runes

- Potion Crafting

Additional Effects

- Passive: Mana Core (Ice)

- Attack Power + 66-104

- Strength Level + 3

- Agility Level + 2

- Perception Level + 5

- Earth Resistance + 52.4%

- Water Resistance + 49.8%

- Fire Resistance + 37.5%

- Wind Resistance + 41.2%

- Skill: Gain the Superior Regeneration effect. Cooldown of 270 seconds.

+ See more skills

A smile crept onto his face. He now had twenty-nine percent Compatibility. A little more and he would break thirty percent, the minimum requirement to be promoted to a C-rank Hunter.

Even if I meet the minimum Compatibility, I still lack the necessary achievements. Going up the ranks will still take a while.

Nevertheless, Kim Do-Joon was happy with his progress. He wasn’t worried about bolstering his achievement count since they would accumulate with time anyway.

He moved onto checking his additional effects.

His Ice Mana Core had yet to disappoint him, and his additional attack power had proven to be invaluable. It was as if he had an extra Rare item equipped!

Kim Do-Joon's attack power was the reason he stood a chance against ghouls, whose Compatibility dwarfed his own.

His other effects included stats, which he had incrementally increased, and resistance effects, which he was still diligently farming. Earth Resistance, the highest among them, would reach the maximum seventy-five percent within a month. Fire Resistance, the lowest, would follow within two.

That way, I won't have any trouble dealing with elemental monsters or polar dungeons.

With his stats, he could assume the tank role inside an elemental dungeon. With decent armor and a shield, he would be tougher than most of his contemporaries.

He had no intention of becoming a tank, though. Otherwise, he would have focused on increasing his defense over his attack.

Well, I suppose I will need to work on my defense eventually...

However, right now, augmenting his attack power was the most efficient path for him. His defense would come into the equation once he was ready.

Time to hunt.

Done resting, Kim Do-Joon leapt out of the outpost, ready to continue his grind.

***

Kim Do-Joon hunted for several more hours before returning home. With his skill on cooldown, he now had to wait a week before he could re-enter the labyrinth.

Hence, he spent that time keeping himself busy. Aside from participating in dungeons that Lee Ji-Ah had scouted for him to gradually build up his achievements, he also cleared out the snakes that had respawned on the Elemental Island.

Once the cooldown was over, he once again stood at the entrance of the third labyrinth.

[You have entered the Collapsed Temple.]

As soon as he went in, he realized that something felt off.

"Hmm?"

In his line of work, even the slightest unease should not be ignored. Narrowing his eyes, Kim Do-Joon carefully surveyed his surroundings.

Nothing looks out of the ordinary... except that there are fewer ghouls. To be fair, I did clear out a ton, but... Wait a second...

The fewer ghouls roaming about truly seemed to be the reason he felt uneasy. He had not realized it at first since he was accustomed to regular dungeons, where slain monsters remained dead, but labyrinths were different. Their monsters respawned endlessly over time.

Judging by the smaller horde, the ghouls had yet to do so.

Maybe it takes longer for them to respawn?

Perhaps this was just a matter of time. However, it was also possible that the monsters inside the Collapsed Temple did not respawn.

Kim Do-Joon found the second option hard to believe. The skeletons of the Catacomb and the snakes of the Elemental Island both respawned. What would make the ghouls an exception to the rule?

Was the labyrinth itself uniquely designated as an exception?

It doesn't seem that way, though...

The question nagged at him, but he couldn’t solve it right now. The labyrinths themselves were unique phenomena that only he had ever experienced. He had no predecessors to seek advice from.

Dungeons and labyrinths were both otherworldly manifestations. Expecting them to follow Earth's laws was a fool's errand.

Only time will tell if the ghouls will respawn.

Kim Do-Joon decided not to rush.

I'll go ahead and kill everything first, then see what happens.

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With Kim Do-Joon laser-focused on culling the horde, the ghouls’ numbers rapidly dwindled.

Growing stronger with each kill, he ended up needing only a few days to clear out the courtyard.

In the process, Kim Do-Joon collected more items with the Unrepairable effect from the other outposts. He looted a total of eight "Corroded" items.

Eight's decent, but... it really seems like the monsters won't respawn.

Kim Do-Joon was now certain. He had kept a vigilant eye out the entire time, yet he saw no sign of ghouls respawning. The courtyard, once teeming with walking corpses, was now completely empty.

After taking a moment to gather his bearings, Kim Do-Joon entered the temple.

The interior was cracked and crumbling, with several fallen sections. Ghouls resembling their counterparts in the courtyard roamed the debris-ridden halls.

Kim Do-Joon pressed forward, defeating the ghouls as he went.

The ghouls here are easier to deal with than the ones in the courtyard.

The monsters were the same, but the new environment provided him an advantage. He jumped between the numerous obstacles and hiding spots to get the upper hand on the less intelligent ghouls.

Thunk!

While cleaving through the ghouls' chests with his golden axe, a flash of light caught Kim Do-Joon’s eye.

Hmm?

Kim Do-Joon instinctively twisted away just before something dark whizzed past where his head had just been.

A spell?

Acting on reflex, Kim Do-Joon took cover behind a nearby crumbling wall. He then heard a slew of magical arrows beating against the stone. If he dared to stick his head out, he'd be a goner.

Kim Do-Joon pulled out a mirror and used it to peek past the wall. In the reflection, he spotted the opponent caster.

[Corrupted Bishop]

- Compatibility - 39%

A bishop, huh?

The figure did not look much different from the other ghouls. The only notable differences were the odd hat-like structure on its head and the blackened staff it carried.

Its Compatibility was only two percent higher than that of his previous foes, but, judging by its esteemed title, it had to be notably stronger than the Corrupted Disciples. After all, an undead monster's strength was determined by its living circumstances.

Click.

Kim Do-Joon equipped a crossbow and loaded it with bolts, easily managing with his arm strength alone. Without his higher Strength stat, he would have had to lay the crossbow to the ground and use his entire weight to pull the string back.

"Ha..."

After taking a quick breath, Kim Do-Joon sprang out from behind the wall. Without missing a beat, he took aim and pulled the trigger. Simultaneously, the Corrupted Bishop launched a spell.

Fwhoosh—

Crackle!

The bolt and the black-magic arrow crossed paths mid-air. Finding his chance, Kim Do-Joon hurriedly stashed the crossbow back into his inventory and dashed toward the monster.

With his Greater Vision Boost effect and level thirty-four Perception stat, he tracked the exact trajectory of the magic arrow.

Swoosh—!

Kim Do-Joon tilted his head away and let the magic arrow graze his shoulder, tearing his clothes and drawing blood. Thanks to his Superior Regeneration effect, though, the injury healed almost instantaneously.

Despite the pain, Kim Do-Joon never took his eyes off his opponent.

What happened to my shot?

Tracking the bolt, he discovered that the bishop had conjured up a dark sphere to intercept it, but it didn't matter. It had served its purpose, which was to divert the monster's attention.

Kim Do-Joon closed the distance between himself and the bishop before it could cast again. He then swung his axe with all his might, striking the creature's shoulder.

Pushing down on the handle, his muscles bulged as he split his opponent’s chest open, causing the bishop to howl.

"Grooaar!"

Blue flames erupted from the wound, its potent powers of purification incapacitating the Corrupted Bishop. It writhed in agony, unable to withstand the burst of pain.

Kim Do-Joon pulled his axe free and beheaded it, promptly finishing the job.

Thud—

The bishop's head fell to the ground, hat and all, and the blue flames ate away at the body until it disintegrated into ash.

Wary of further attacks, Kim Do-Joon again took refuge behind a nearby structure. After a tense moment spent to make sure that the area was clear, he sighed with relief.

"Phew."

Kim Do-Joon had to remain vigilant. The bishop's projectiles were faster and more powerful than the ones that the Catacomb’s Skeleton Mages could cast.

Now aware of the Corrupted Bishops' existence, he exercised due diligence and proceeded with caution. He was long past the age of recklessness.

Kim Do-Joon continued to explore the temple, hunting any ghouls he came across. Upon clearing the first floor, he moved onto the second of the temple’s four floors.

Thankfully, the temple is at least smaller than the courtyard.

Due to how the building was laid out, the ghouls were spread thin. At most, only five or six could cluster together. Bishops were also few and far between, with an average of one per a hundred normal mobs.

Kim Do-Joon's hunt progressed smoothly.

I may as well clean house before I head out.

Normally, he would have already returned home to rest, but he was overcome with the desire to see things through.

Over the course of the next five days, he swept through all four floors. His Compatibility increased accordingly.

Compatibility

- 35%

Given that the Corrupted Disciples had a Compatibility of thirty-seven percent, he could theoretically raise his to thirty-eight. However, he had run out of monsters to farm.

Should I just go ahead and challenge the boss now?

Since the ghouls did not respawn, Kim Do-Joon had no other choice.

He searched every room on the fourth floor to find the boss room. Failing to find anything, he headed down to the third, the second, and then finally the first floor.

Hidden in a corner, he found a staircase leading underground.

I wonder what’s in there. More ghouls? The boss room?

As Kim Do-Joon slowly descended, a wave of eerie death energy billowed up the stairwell.

"Ugh!"

Kim Do-Joon covered his mouth with his forearm and leaned against the wall. Having fought undead monsters in the Catacomb and dealt with powerful ghouls inside the temple, he had thought himself accustomed to the death energy of the walking dead. However, he was sorely mistaken.

The dark, damp air, filled with a presence that rejected the living, coiled around him like a snake. It made his heart pound and his head spin, making him feel as if he was suffering from vertigo.

Kim Do-Joon bit the inside of his cheek and enveloped himself with energy from his Mana Core. The cold mana coursed through him, sharpening his senses.

"Phew..."

Kim Do-Joon exhaled and steadied himself. Feeling calmer, he peeked down the stairs. The lights leading to the dark corridor below were ominously flickering.

He gritted his teeth, knowing he could not retreat just because of a mere wave of energy. After making sure that he could use his teleportation skill to escape at a moment's notice, he cautiously climbed down.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, he opened the large door in front of him and stepped inside. Right after, a message appeared.

[???]

Compatibility

- 71%

"Damn it...!"

Without hesitation, Kim Do-Joon activated his teleportation skill.

***

[You have entered the Cappella.]

[A hidden quest has been created.]