Life Rebooted with Copy and Paste-Chapter 158. Fragment of the Shadow Lord

Fwoosh.

Upon vanishing, Kim Do-Joon reappeared silently behind the creature. It was a short-range teleportation, powered by the Flame Totem.

Momentarily bewildered, the creature’s instincts soon kicked in, sensing movement from behind. Whipping around quickly, it was met with Kim Do-Joon’s spear, crackling with mana.

Babababam—! ƒrēenovelkiss.com

A vortex of Violent Stream engulfed the creature, enhanced by the flames from Kim Do-Joon’s earlier maneuver.

“Aagh! Ga...! Ga...!”

The creature shrieked, shrouding itself in shadow to resist the blow.

However, its effort was futile. The razor-sharp speartip tore through the shadows as if they were paper, unleashing a tidal wave of mana that consumed the creature entirely.

Thud!

Then, the creature was thrown like a bullet, smashing deep into the rocky cliffside. Dust and debris scattered, revealing the creature’s mangled body.

So it twisted its body at the last second, noted Kim Do-Joon.

Otherwise, the creature’s upper body would’ve been completely blown off.

“Ah...?”

The creature muttered, its voice tinged with incredulity as it gazed at its tattered form. From its chest down to its shoulder, and even one arm, were gone.

How could this be? How could anyone harm me to this degree?

Then, a sinister smile spread across the creature’s face.

“Heh!”

It was overwhelmed with joy. How could it not be? Kim Do-Joon had just proved himself to be a strong prey! Its strength would skyrocket if it could devour the man! This was an opportunity—a chance to rise to the top.

Bang!

With a sudden burst of force, the creature lunged from the cliffside. Its once ravaged form had begun to regenerate. Shadows wrapped around its torso, knitting together a new chest. Also, a fresh arm emerged, as though it had never been injured.

The creature’s momentum didn’t falter. It slashed at Kim Do-Joon with claws as sharp and strong as tempered steel.

Clang—!

Kim Do-Joon deflected the blow with his spear, spinning gracefully. In the next moment, a knife appeared in his left hand, flying like a bullet toward the creature’s abdomen.

“Prey...! Prey!” the creature howled, undeterred by the weapon embedded in its stomach.

It charged at Kim Do-Joon, fully trusting in its regenerative ability.

Shhhk!

Blood splattered as a long gash opened on Kim Do-Joon’s shoulder. Dark red droplets began to drip down.

“Tsk,” Kim Do-Joon clicked his tongue.

He could have avoided the strike, but the trade-off was acceptable.

Thud!

Kim Do-Joon kicked the hilt of the knife lodged in the creature’s belly. With the added force, the blade sank deeper, piercing through its tough scales and burying itself to the hilt.

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

The two exchanged brutal blows, testing each other’s limits. Kim Do-Joon’s shoulder began to heal rapidly due to the Superior Regeneration.

So he has healing powers too? Summoning skills, combat prowess, and even regeneration skill... What is this guy?

The creature growled internally.

Kim Do-Joon watched carefully, his expression calm despite the pain. The knife was enchanted to prevent regeneration. He was waiting to see if it’d work.

“Ooooh...”

However, things didn't go as Kim Do-Joon had expected. The creature touched the hole in its stomach, where shadows writhed like threads, slowly stitching the wound shut. The sight was surreal—almost unnatural, as if it had never been alive to begin with.

So it’s not working... Kim Do-Joon thought grimly. He’d anticipated this.

From the moment he gained the non-regenerating ability, he knew this skill wouldn’t affect creatures of a higher rank or those with extreme restoration powers. Still, what a wasted opportunity.

"Kraah!"

The creature pounded its newly healed stomach with satisfaction, before baring its teeth and charging at Kim Do-Joon.

Kim Do-Joon swiftly retaliated, summoning a spike from the ground. The sharp thorn shot upward, piercing the creature’s body. The creature flinched, freezing momentarily.

Seizing the opening, Kim Do-Joon lunged forward with his spear. However, before he could land the blow, a barrage of mana bullets erupted from the creature’s chest, forcing him to retreat.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Though Kim Do-Joon managed to dodge most of the damage with quick and successive evasion, the golden opportunity was gone.

"Kreee..."

The creature then wrenched itself free from the spike, resuming its movements as if nothing had happened.

Then, it bolted toward Kim Do-Joon once more, its approach relentless and aggressive. It always sought to close the distance, instinctively aware that was the best way to counter his spear.

However, Kim Do-Joon wasn’t one to falter in close combat. He had honed his skills in melee fighting, particularly through the demanding art of Jecheon Seong’s blade, which thrived in tight, confined spaces.

The clash began anew. Blades, fists, claws, and even shadows whipped through the air, each seeking a fatal strike. The creature’s shadow lunged to seize Kim Do-Joon, but the Flame Totem allowed him to teleport out of reach.

Meanwhile, Kim Do-Joon drove spikes into the creature whenever he could. However, it retaliated by embedding explosive mana bullets into the same wounds, keeping him at bay.

Now... I see the pattern...

The creature had begun to decipher Kim Do-Joon’s attack patterns. The spikes could be neutralized with explosions. His teleportation, once disorienting, was no longer as unpredictable. If the creature could just predict where Kim Do-Joon would reappear, it could seize the advantage.

Huh?

Then, a thought struck the creature—a realization that made it pause.

Wait... Why am I struggling so desperately against my prey?

The distinction between predator and prey was supposed to be absolute. The calculating and cold hunter would set the traps, whereas the prey would frantically avoid them, desperately trying to survive.

When the creature devoured its siblings in the prison, it was the hunter. When it consumed soldiers and knights outside the prison walls, it was the hunter. It had even vowed to one day devour the king.

However, this fight made it feel different.

I... I feel like... I became the prey.

It wasn’t hunting like usual. Instead, it felt like it was the one being hunted. Every strike from Kim Do-Joon was calculated, deliberate, and deadly. Meanwhile, every one of its counterattacks felt like a frantic defense against an overwhelming force.

“You’ve lost focus,” Kim Do-Joon remarked coldly.

“Ah...”

Before the creature could react, a fiery storm engulfed it. It was a hurricane of flames identical to the one that had nearly destroyed it earlier.

The creature froze in terror. It knew the power of this storm all too well. If it took the full brunt of the attack, even its regenerative abilities wouldn’t save it.

However, the idea of turning its back to run and flee was humiliating.

No... A hunter doesn’t run away.

The next moment, the creature opened its mouth wide, inhaling deeply. The fiery storm began to swirl toward its gaping maw, the flames being drawn into its body.

“Grrr... Aaagh!"

It screamed in agony as the fiery mana tore through it from the inside. Its shadow split into countless strands, wrapping around itself in a desperate attempt to contain the destructive power it had just consumed.

"Is it... eating the flames?" Kim Do-Joon muttered, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

The creature’s eyes, barely open to thin slits, caught the sight of its prey’s startled expression. Even amidst the searing pain, its eyes curved like a bow, narrowing with grim satisfaction.

Yes, a prey should always look like that—frozen in fear, desperate.

“Cough! Gurgle! Keugh!”

With a final, guttural sound, it devoured every last trace of the prey’s abundant and potent mana energy.

As the power surged through him, it began to transform. Its once jet-black skin shifted, adorned with shimmering scales. Markings etched themselves onto its wings and tail, vivid and intricate. It could feel that a new evolution had begun, unmistakable in its intensity.

That flame of yours is useless against me now!

Raising its head in triumph, the creature allowed a victorious smirk to stretch across its face—only to freeze at what it saw next.

“Tsk.”

The prey, who should’ve been trembling, clicked his tongue in annoyance. His expression was one of sheer irritation. Then, a chill, completely different from the fiery energy of before, began to encase the man.

“If you’ve evolved by consuming my flame energy... then I suppose you won’t be able to handle this ice energy,” Kim Do-Joon said.

“What the hell...?”

The creature’s confident expression faltered, its eyes blinking rapidly in disbelief. It now bore the very same expression he had once delighted in seeing in his prey—panic, confusion, and fear.

***

Ashunaga shook her head, her exasperation clear as she surveyed the aftermath. Another enemy had fallen before Kim Do-Joon’s spear. When the foe had absorbed a storm of flames and begun to transform, she had thought there might be a chance. However, no evolution could match the monstrous strength of that human.

Once the enemy had adapted to the flaming energy, it was shredded to pieces by Kim Do-Joon’s biting cold energy. Ironically, the creature would have fared better if it had done nothing at all.

The corpse vanished, leaving behind a crown of thorns that floated above the remains of its horn.

Good thing I didn’t challenge him back then... Ashunaga thought, recalling her first meeting with Kim Do-Joon.

Now, despite being born as the leader of the Nagas, the Nagaraja, she had submitted Kim Do-Joon. A life of a pawn was preferable to no life at all.

Gulp.

Wang Lifei and the other Hunters of the Eight Dragons Society stared in awe at the battle’s conclusion, their throats dry.

This is insane!

Even from a considerable distance, they could feel Kim Do-Joon’s overwhelming aura. Witnessing his majesty in person made it painfully clear how foolish it had been to raise their swords against him.

Wang Lifei’s faith in his leader, Gao Lin, wavered for the first time.

Why... Why did the Master attack this man?

The reason didn’t matter. He knew Gao Lin wouldn’t attack recklessly against such power. If killing Kim Do-Joon was essential, Gao Lin would have planned his assault meticulously.

Was that why he mobilized the Ghost Slayer Division and constructed that Celestial Trap? Wait... could even the S-rank dungeon reveal have been part of a plot to eliminate him?

Wang Lifei Imagination spiraled, piecing together schemes that could have been. Unaware of Wang Lifei’s musings—or perhaps simply ignoring them—Kim Do-Joon approached, the thorny crown clutched in his hand like a trophy.

Wang Lifei flinched, feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt. However, Kim Do-Joon didn’t spare him so much as a glance. The man walked past him and approached Ashunaga.

“Great work. You worked hard,” Ashunaga said.

Kim Do-Joon chuckled. “You, too. It must’ve been hard sitting around and resting.”

Ashunaga, her gaze darting nervously, mumbled, “No, I mean... I wasn’t resting. I was cheering you on, you know...”

Amused by her flustered excuse, Kim Do-Joon turned his attention to the Hunters of the Eight Dragons Society.

“What about you lot?” he asked casually.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Wang Lifei stammered.

“Are you planning to keep going?” Kim Do-Joon locked eyes with Wang Lifei.

Kim Do-Joon's expression made it clear—he saw them as useless and wanted them gone.

“Just so you know,” Kim Do-Joon added bluntly, “don’t count on me saving you like last time.”

The words struck like a hammer, leaving Wang Lifei drowning in a sense of futility. As a high-ranking member of the Eight Dragons Society, he had never felt so powerless. Watching the world move around him while being unable to do a thing was humiliating.

Even his help earlier wasn’t for us. He probably just didn’t want the enemy growing stronger by devouring us.

Kim Do-Joon’s cold, unfeeling eyes left no room for misunderstanding.

“...We’ll withdraw,” Wang Lifei finally said, his shoulders slumping.

The Eight Dragons Society turned to leave, their defeated silhouettes radiating a heavy air of despair. Anyone watching would have felt a pang of sympathy.

However, the moment they disappeared from view, they vanished from Kim Do-Joon’s thoughts entirely. His focus now lay solely on one thing—the reason he had sent them away in the first place.

[Shadow Lord’s Fragment] [The effect of Shadow Lord’s Fragment can be copied and pasted onto Kim Do-Joon.]

It was the crown of thorns in his hand.