Reversing Life With Item Copy

Rustle—

The bushes rustled slightly, revealing a pair of glowing red eyes within.

"Grr…"

Those eyes were fixed on the intruders who had just entered the forest. The intruders looked just like the ones he had seen before. However, unlike the previous formidable warriors, these intruders seemed weak and unsteady. There were fewer of them, with a few slender women mixed in.

"Hehe."

A shadow in the bushes laughed. Suddenly, numerous red eyes began to shine all around him.

***

Upon passing through the tower, they found themselves in a forest. The sudden change in scenery felt just like entering the root. The unsettling atmosphere was precisely like that of a dungeon.

Tsk.

Seok Dae-Kyung clicked his tongue. Unlike his reliable former comrades, his current teammates didn’t inspire much confidence.

Four B-rankers… not so impressive, but they'll do.

The real problem was Kim Do-Joon’s group, who he had just shaken hands with. They were E-rankers, supposedly there to carry supplies. But why would they need porters if all Awakeners had inventory? Although the inventory had some limitations, it wasn't like they were there to hunt extensively. Their goal was to meet up with the advance party.

At least, there were the two women. As an A-rank Hunter who had met many women, even he had to admit they were striking beauties. Nevertheless, they were just eye candy. Monsters would not go easy on them just because they were pretty.

Therefore, bringing people with no dungeon experience was a terrible idea. He wondered what the Association President was thinking when he approved this party.

And above all else… an E-ranker as the leader...?

Despite being an A-rank Hunter himself, an E-ranker was chosen as the leader. Sure, Kim Do-Joon had the Association President’s endorsement, but he was still a rookie. More than just skill, a leader needed experience. Just how much experience could an E-ranker possibly have?

He must've caught the President’s eye somehow.

To Seok Dae-Kyung, it seemed like pure nepotism. And now, he and the others were stuck under this unqualified leader, souring his mood.

If things go south, I'll have to take charge.

Just then, they heard the sound of monsters in the surrounding bushes.

"Kirk!Kirrik!"

High-pitched cries echoed through the forest—they belonged to goblins. Having sensed their presence long ago, Seok Dae-Kyung was unfazed. He drew out his weapon from his inventory. He glanced at the others, focusing on Kim Do-Joon’s group.

Oh…?

Kim Do-Joon’s group didn’t panic either. Only the porter seemed frightened, but that was expected. Surprisingly, the two women remained calm, even though this was likely their first dungeon.

Seems like they won't be a burden right away.

Seok Dae-Kyung adjusted his assessment of them slightly upward. Raising his arm to signal the group to stay back, he stepped forward.

He slammed his fists together, the action revealing two fearsome gauntlets on his hands.

“Hmph,” he snorted, swinging his fists simultaneously to the sides.

Boom! Boom!

Just as he did that, the air shook, and the surrounding area was swept clean. The ground cracked, and trees and bushes were obliterated. No goblin could withstand the force.

“Kyah!”

“Kyarak!”

The cornering goblins were shredded, spraying blood everywhere. Those farther away were left intact, but the ones closer were unrecognizable.

This was the might of an A-rank Hunter and the B-rank Hunters watched with wide eyes.

"Wow…"

"That's amazing!"

Seok Dae-Kyung smirked. It was crucial to build trust early on, and the appearance of the goblins had provided the perfect opportunity to make a strong first impression.

He quickly glanced at Kim Do-Joon. The man was whispering to Elena, paying no attention to either him or the goblins. It was irritating. Did they think this place was some sort of date spot?

"Let's get going," Seok Dae-Kyung said gruffly.

As soon as he said that, the B-rank Hunters followed him immediately.

I need to stay sharp.

Seok Dae-Kyung knew that the dungeon was no joke.

***

The exploration continued into the next day. Various monsters, including goblins, appeared. Unlike the dungeon’s roots, where only one or two types of monsters typically emerged, this place was different. They even witnessed monsters fighting each other for territory.

"It's like an ecosystem," someone remarked, and most nodded in agreement.

The inner part of the stem felt like a true ecosystem, unlike the dungeon in the inner part of the roots.

"This way. There are many traces ahead of us that are left by the advance party because there are so many of them," Seok Dae-Kyung said, naturally taking the lead.

He followed the trail left by the previous explorers, guiding the group like a leader. However, no one complained because even the real leader, Kim Do-Joon, remained silent, giving no one a reason to question it.

Meanwhile, Kim Do-Joon was conversing with Elena about the stem.

"A neutral zone?" Kim Do-Joon asked.

"Yes. It's an area declared neutral because of the overwhelming number of monsters. Most of the gates to your world are located there," Elena explained.

Kim Do-Joon's real journey would begin after meeting up with the advance exploration team. Before heading to the Flame Lord’s domain, he planned to relay information about this place to Shin Yoo-Sung. Hence why he didn’t mind Seok Dae-Kyung leading for now. There was no need for unnecessary conflict.

"The neutral zone is located near the middle of the stem. The Flame Lord's domain is south of it," Elena continued.

Kim Do-Joon briefly looked up at the sky. "So, we're heading south?"

"Yes, it seems the humans who entered earlier have headed in that direction."

They were lucky because it would save them time. Following the traces, they moved through the diverse and challenging environment, adapting as if it were a typical dungeon.

After several days, they made a discovery.

"Stop."

They had found something.

"Is this… ruins?"

Remnants of a civilization appeared in front of them. The faces of the B-rank Hunters lit up. Finding ruins in a dungeon usually meant hidden items. The fact that this was the stem and not the roots didn’t abate their excitement.

"There must be items here!"

Even ordinary items could fetch a good price, while a unique item could mean a fortune that would secure them millions of dollars. Smiles crept onto their faces.

Meanwhile, Kim Do-Joon narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings.

"Are there any elves here?"

This world was inhabited by elves, and any sign of civilization usually pointed to them. However, there were no suspicious signs, and nothing seemed to lurk in the bushes like the first day.

As he carefully examined the ruins built of stone and nestled in the forest, he spotted something.

"That's…"

When Kim Do-Joon murmured, the others turned to see what he was looking at. In front of the stone door that seemed to mark the ruins entrance, there was a dead body.

***

“Could this be the advance party?” Seok Dae-Kyung frowned.

However, the Hunter searching the body shook his head.

“I don’t think so. Take a look at this.”

“What’s this?”

The Hunter pulled out a notebook from the corpse's belongings. It was filled with Chinese characters, not Korean.

Kim Do-Joon spoke up, “Looks like a Chinese Hunter.”

“There were rumors about encountering foreign exploration teams…” Seok Dae-Kyung muttered.

The messenger sent by the advance party had once reported meeting foreign Hunters inside the stem. Who’d have expected to encounter them like this?

“Apparently, unlike us, China had multiple stems appearing in different places,” Kim Do-Joon mentioned, and the group nodded.

China, with its vast territory, had several stems, unlike Korea, which had only one in Hwaseong. Thus, China had sent exploration teams to all these places. This dead Hunter was probably one of those teams.

“Let’s go inside,” Seok Dae-Kyung said, stepping forward as usual.

Without giving anyone a chance to object, he pushed open the stone door. Despite its heavy appearance, it was nothing for an A-rank Hunter like him.

Suddenly, Kim Do-Joon yanked him back by the collar.

“What the hell are you doing!” Seok Dae-Kyung snapped, turning around angrily.

However, just then, an arrow whizzed past his ear, embedding itself deeply into a tree.

Swoosh—

The arrow quivered, buried more than halfway into the wood.

“...”

Seok Dae-Kyung gulped. That arrow could have pierced his skull. More alarming was that Kim Do-Joon, a mere E-rank Hunter, had sensed it before he had.

In a swirl of complex emotions, he glanced at Kim Do-Joon. But the E-ranker ignored him, focusing solely on the darkness within the ruins.

“Elena,” Kim Do-Joon called.

However, before Kim Do-Joon even finished speaking, Elena had already drawn an arrow and was aiming.

Swoosh!

Her arrow flew into the darkness. No sound, no response came from within.

“Was it just a trap? Or an ambush?” Kim Do-Joon asked.

“It wasn’t a trap. That arrow had too much power to be a simple trap,” Elena stated.

The force behind her shot was enough to threaten even an A-rank Hunter, indicating it was an ambush.

“If it’s an ambush, then it’s either Chinese hunters or…” Kim Do-Joon muttered.

“Elves,” Elena suggested.

Kim Do-Joon and Elena maintained a calm yet vigilant stance, trying to think of who the opponent would be.

Watching them, Seok Dae-Kyung felt as if he had been struck.

Damn, these people are…

They were entirely different from Seok Dae-Kyung’s first impression. He was still on the ground, not even thinking about getting up.

Then, Siwelin approached him, gently placing a hand on his ear. Apparently, he was grazed by the arrow from earlier. A soft light emanated from her hand, healing the wound he’d just noticed.

She didn’t stop there. Folding her hands in prayer, Siwelin muttered softly, and a transparent protective shield formed around the group.

Seok Dae-Kyung’s mouth fell open. Kim Do-Joon’s superior senses and reflexes, Elena’s powerful arrows, and Siwelin’s support skills—it all made sense now.

“So that’s why…” he finally understood why the Association President had chosen Kim Do-Joon as the leader over him, the sole A-rank.

A mix of emotions surged through him, including a sense of shame, but above all, relief. The group he had dismissed as baggage was far more capable than he had anticipated, increasing their chances of survival.

Suddenly, he wondered.

Wait a second…

Then, his gaze turned to Hwang Hyun-Woo, the porter, wondering if he had some hidden talent too. With a glimmer of hope, Seok Dae-Kyung watched him.

However, Hwang Hyun-Woo was hiding behind a tree, cheerfully cheering them on.

“Go, H-Hyung! You can do it!”

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