Life Rebooted with Copy and Paste-Chapter 42. I’m Much Stronger Than Yesterday

[The item effect has been successfully copied and pasted.]

[The Knife has been destroyed.]

[The transferred ability will be adjusted according to the recipient's classification.]

[Additional Effect]

- Passive: Invincible Body

[Invincible Body]

- The pinnacle of martial arts.A body forged through countless strikes becomes as resilient as diamond.

Kim Do-Joon’s eyes widened as he read the new passive.

Invincible Body?

He recognized the term—not only was it intuitive, it was also occasionally mentioned in sports news. He immediately examined his body. He bounced in place a few times, flailed his limbs, and pinched or scratched at his skin.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

However, he didn’t feel any difference in toughness. Next, he took a knife and tried to cut his skin.

Hmm... I guess the defense power effect is blocking it.

The blade didn’t slice him, thanks to the extra defense power he’d copy-pasted over time.

Out of options, Kim Do-Joon pulled out the Exigar's Lightning Spear, the strongest weapon he had. With a bit of force, he managed to pierce through the mana barrier created by his defense power effect.

— What are you doing? Why are you hurting yourself?

Karlish, who was beside Kim Do-Joon, asked. Kim Do-Joon didn’t answer, focusing solely on the spear and his forearm. As the spear tip touched his skin, he squinted, expecting a wound and a jolt of electricity.

But the spear didn’t penetrate further.

...

Kim Do-Joon exerted more force, and even swung it down, but his forearm remained unscathed.

The Epic-rarity weapon, which had once cut through his defense like paper, couldn’t even scratch his skin now.

Finally, Kim Do-Joon understood. His body, flexible and soft as ever, had become tough enough to block weapons with bare skin. Such was Invincible Body.

Ha...

The phrase "forged through countless strikes" on the information window was likely a metaphor that signified the extent of training required to reach this level. Yet, Kim Do-Joon acquired this skill with a single copy-paste.

Kim Do-Joon had heard that many groups in China revered martial arts skills. If they discovered he’d gained this skill effortlessly, there’d be an outrage.

Well, I don’t care what others think.

One thing was certain. This was the most valuable effect that he had ever obtained.

I won’t have to prioritize defense power effects anymore. Oh, wait a second...

Kim Do-Joon’s four elemental resistances were at 75% already. After granting it all to Kim So-Eun, he was also steadily increasing his Cold Resistance. And now, he’d obtained a passive that basically made him invincible.

Am I indestructible?

It might have been juvenile, but he couldn’t come up with a better word. Kim Do-Joon was ecstatic.

— Eh, tsk tsk. What’s so amusing to you?

Karlish clicked his tongue.

“I think I’ve gotten something amazing!” Kim Do-Joon grinned.

— Oh? Is that so? Ahem, ahem!

Karlish cleared his throat awkwardly.

What’s with him? But Kim Do-Joon soon dismissed it. He was too absorbed in his newfound invincibility.

After some time, Kim Do-Joon calmed down a bit and thought it over.

No, I don’t think I’m fully invincible. There must be some attacks that 75% resistance cannot block. Internal damage or poison could still pose a threat.

After considering all the scenarios, Kim Do-Joon discovered plenty of potential weaknesses. He’d celebrated too soon.

Still, one thing was clear.

I’m much stronger than yesterday.

That was beyond any doubt.

***

A large group of people gathered near a single root. As a gate shimmered from the root, a man rushed out. His armor was drenched in blood, and he held a massive claymore, nearly 1.5 meters long, in one hand.

The nearby attendants quickly approached and began removing his armor. With practiced ease, they unclasped the joins, revealing a sweat-soaked shirt underneath.

Suddenly, one young woman reached out and touched his sword.

“...”

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Seeing this, the woman's superior turned pale.

“Sorry, I apologize! She's new and still learning...”

“...”

“Hey, I told you not to touch the sword?!” the superior yelled at the woman.

“Huh? Oh! I’m s-so sorry!”

The young woman turned pale as she realized her mistake. The man, seeing her distress, softened his expression and spoke calmly.

“Be more careful next time.”

The woman, who had expected a harsher rebuke, looked bewildered. Behind her, the superior sighed in relief. The man, now lightly dressed and carrying only his sword, left them behind. He headed toward the limousine, where his secretary stood waiting.

“You must be really tired, Sir,” said the secretary.

“It was nothing.”

The man answered nonchalantly as he got into the car.

The secretary glanced toward the gate. The workers were endlessly hauling out the carcasses of slain monsters.

How did he manage to kill so many A-rank monsters...?

The secretary was awestruck. Just a short while ago, he had tried to dissuade the man from entering the A-rank dungeon alone. Yet, he still went in anyway, single handedly defeating the boss and clearing the dungeon. This was the work of Oh Tae-Jin, his superior.

Adjusting the rear view mirror, the secretary stole a glance at Oh Tae-Jin. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Oh Tae-Jin’s gaze seemed deeper than before.

“You must have had a bountiful hunt. Congratulations, Guild Master,” said the secretary.

Oh Tae-Jin reclined deeply into his seat, responding lazily.

“Watch your words. The owner of Karma is still my father.”

“He may not have officially handed over the reins, but isn’t he retired already?”

The secretary gave such a flattering comment to gauge Oh Tae-Jin’s reaction. But Oh Tae-Jin's expression remained indiscernible, giving no clue to his feelings.

It would be easier if he were as transparent as his younger brother.

Even though Oh Tae-Jin didn’t display anger or criticize others, his inscrutable nature made him difficult to approach.

“Did anything significant happen while I was away?”

Gazing out at the rapidly passing scenery, Oh Tae-Jin asked.

The secretary quickly organized the prepared information and replied.

“Yes, there are a few things.”

“Okay, tell me,” said Oh Tae-Jin.

“First, an S-rank dungeon has appeared in Russia,” said the secretary.

Oh Tae-Jin’s eyes lit up after hearing this news. It was one of those rare moments when his emotions were visible.

“And?” Oh Tae-Jin asked.

“They haven’t requested our support. From what I’ve gathered, they’ve only asked Mir for Healers,” the secretary replied.

“Tsk.” Oh Tae-Jin clicked his tongue in disappointment.

He was hungry for accomplishments.

Among domestic A-rank Hunters, he prided himself on being the best. Even though his skills were comparable to an S-rank, because he lacked substantial achievements, he wasn’t recognized as such.

If only he could earn recognition through strength alone. Unfortunately, he couldn’t simply challenge other S-ranks to duels.

"Recently, most of the S-rank dungeon occurrences came from that region, Russia. Furthermore, the overall dungeon appearance rate has significantly decreased," said the secretary.

"It's common knowledge that dungeon appearance rates are always fluctuating," Oh Tae-Jin remarked.

"But this is reportedly the lowest in history. Some even called it a period of peace.”

Oh Tae-Jin scoffed quietly. In human history, conflict predated ideologies. Monsters were merely a more tangible manifestation of struggle. Believing that fewer monsters meant peace was pure ignorance. He knew this period of lull wouldn’t last forever, hence why he thirsted for strength.

Surely, my time will come.

The opportunity would come for him to accumulate overwhelming achievements that would undoubtedly elevate his rank to S. Oh Tae-Jin was still young, with many chances to prove himself. All he had to do was keep an eye out for that opportunity.

"And... Gwak Dong-Gyu is dead," said the secretary.

"Gwak Dong-Gyu?"

Oh Tae-Jin didn’t recognize the name immediately. The secretary checked the rearview mirror before answering.

"He’s the man with the skill to transform into a beast."

"Oh, the one I picked up due to having an unusual skill.”

Gwak Dong-Gyu could easily falsify his rank without any special manipulation. Oh Tae-Jin had kept him close, thinking he might be useful someday. Due to the nature of Gwak Dong-Gyu’s purpose, their relationship was unofficial.

"Yes. We managed to keep him at D-rank despite his Compatibility being close to B-rank. He died in the Sangam-dong dungeon," the secretary explained.

"Was there an accident?" Oh Tae-Jin asked.

"No, it was an incident,"

An incident, instead of an accident.

"How did it affect us?" Oh Tae-Jin asked.

"Thanks to thorough precautions, we’re not involved..." The secretary hesitated before continuing. "It seems that your brother was in Gwak Dong-Gyu’s recent call history. They’re currently investigating that.”

Oh Tae-Jin's eyebrow twitched.

Ugh, he can't go a single moment without causing trouble!

Despite being an adult, his younger brother still acted recklessly. Although it was fortunate he was willing to work, his incompetence was difficult to tolerate. Oh Tae-Jin clicked his tongue and spoke.

"Make sure to cover up everything necessary. Tell him to lay low for a while."

"I’ll let him know.”

The death of Gwak Dong-Gyu wasn’t a significant loss. Oh Tae-Jin didn’t expect that much from him anyway. However, he wanted to avoid any unnecessary damage to the guild’s reputation.

A guild, after all, was a private military organization. With a positive image, they were heroes; with a negative one, they were worse than terrorists.

"So, how did that Gwak Dong-Gyu guy die?"

The secretary hesitated a bit before answering in resignation.

"Actually... he was killed by an E-rank Hunter."

Oh Tae-Jin furrowed his brow deeper than he ever had before.

"It was Kim Do-Joon, who topped the certification exam last quarter," the secretary continued on.

"Oh yeah, I remember. He was the one who beat Kang Jae-Jun, right?"

"Yes, that’s right."

In less than a year, Kim Do-Joon had grown strong enough to take down Gwak Dong-Gyu? While it wasn’t impossible, it was certainly rare.

"He must have quite the skill," Oh Tae-Jin muttered.

"...What should we do?" the secretary asked.

Oh Tae-Jin pondered for a moment before replying.

"Since Gwak Dong-Gyu was about B-rank, that man should be around the same level..."

"Based on eyewitness reports, our support team simulated it and concluded he’s roughly a mid-B rank."

The secretary handed Oh Tae-Jin the support team’s report. He skimmed through it before tossing it onto the seat beside him.

"Leave him be. We don’t have time to get hung up on a single B-rank."

***

A week later, Kim Do-Joon found himself in the orc labyrinth with Karlish. He hunted a group of orcs using his Lightning Spear like usual.

Watching him, Karlish commented.

— You're relying too much on your weapon.

“...”

Kim Do-Joon remained silent, because Karlish was right. Not only did he rely on the weapon's Epic-rarity attack power, his hunting method also depended heavily on its area-of-effect attacks.

— If you stick to that hunting method, you'll only get better at shortcuts, not actual skills.

"It's the most efficient way," Kim Do-Joon replied.

— If making money is all you care about, that's fine. But are you satisfied with that, Master?

Kim Do-Joon kept his mouth shut. Faster hunting meant faster Compatibility growth, leading to increased stat runes. This was one way to become stronger, and a path most Hunters pursue. But Kim Do-Joon knew it wasn’t for him.

This isn’t the best way for me...

Kim Do-Joon could increase his stats indefinitely using his copy-paste skill. Thus, simply focusing on fast and efficient hunting was counterproductive for him. What he needed was the ability to utilize his increased stats, rather than just mindlessly boosting his Compatibility through endless hunting.

— Besides, that spear is clearly designed for throwing. It looks small and light.

"That's right. It's classified as a javelin to begin with," Kim Do-Joon replied.

— Throwing has its limits. Use it as a secondary weapon and wield me instead. If you help me recover my memory, I'll teach you all my techniques.

Seeing that he’d piqued Kim Do-Joon's interest, Karlish continued in a pleased tone.

— It's the spear technique of Nox, the God of War and Storms.

Karlish chuckled and added as a clarification.

— It’s not really a god's technique, per se. But still...