Life Rebooted with Copy and Paste

It went without saying that skill rune was an incredibly rare item. Most Hunters would go their entire careers without ever finding a single one. In that sense, finding two within less than two years was certainly a stroke of luck. Of course, it also helped that Kim Do-Joon had killed monsters at a rate that far surpassed others.

Skill runes only drop the skill of that particular monster.

It was always one of the abilities the monster had used during the fight.

So, which of its abilities would be inside this one?

Kim Do-Joon thought back to the monster's skills, excitement building in his chest. There was the ability to spew poison, transforming the surrounding area into a swamp. There was also the power to raise the dead and turn them into undead minions. Then, the ability to open a gate to summon more undead. And lastly, the ability to unleash a powerful blast after accumulating energy.

Perhaps the creature’s nature as an undead, capable of reviving after death, was a skill in itself. So, five possibilities.

Heart pounding, Kim Do-Joon checked the information window for the rune.

[Skill Rune: Summoning Gate]

It was the skill the monster had used to open a gate and call forth undead creatures like Ghouls and Death Knights. It wasn’t too bad. While it didn’t directly enhance his strength, it provided him with subordinates to fight on his behalf.

Although summoning skills were typically infamous for their enormous mana consumption, if there was one thing Kim Do-Joon had an abundance of, it was mana. His mana pool was unmatched, as was his ability to recover it.

Nodding to himself, Kim Do-Joon decided to use the skill rune. Of course, he wasn’t going to use it in the ordinary way. As he had done before, when extracting the power of Shadow Binding from the Thorn of Searshader, he used his copy-pasting ability on the rune.

[The effect of the Skill Rune: Summoning Gate can be copied and pasted onto Kim Do-Joon.]

[Item effects available for copy-pasting:]

1. Acquire Summoning Gate

Copy-paste.

After a moment of silence, the skill rune cracked with a sharp noise just like before, and a new message appeared before him.

[The original of this effect has been detected. Do you want to copy-paste the original?]

[Item effects available for copy-pasting:]

1. A duplicate.

2. The original.

Without a second thought, Kim Do-Joon selected the original.

[The original of Summoning Gate has been copy-pasted.]

[You have learned the Skill: Ring of Dominance.]

A refreshing sensation washed over him, like the time he had learned the Thorn of Searshader. It was as if something that had been blocked was now wide open, and a new power surged into him.

[Ring of Dominance]

[You can open the dimensional gates you own.]

The explanation was simple. In fact, there were fewer words than one would find on the description of a basic potion. However, one word stood out.

Dimensional gates... that I own?

Kim Do-Joon decided to try out the skill. With a sweep of his hand, a circular ring began to form in midair. The energy it radiated was deep and intense, reminding him of the crackling light from a sparkler on a summer night.

Once the ring was fully formed, the space inside it started to ripple. Kim Do-Joon's heart raced as he watched intently, wondering what would happen next.

Huh?

However, nothing happened. There were no Death Knights, nor even a single insect that crawled out from it. Perplexed, Kim Do-Joon cautiously placed his hand on the ring. Instantly, another message popped up in front of him.

[Which location would you like to open?]

1. Catacomb

2. Elemental Island

3. Middle Orc Kingdom

4. Frozen Harbor

5. Slime Grassland

6. Branch of Caldera

A list of all the labyrinths that Kim Do-Joon had conquered thus far appeared before his eyes.

***

[You have entered the Frozen Harbor.]

Is this real...?

Kim Do-Joon looked confused, still adjusting to the sudden shift. Moments ago, he had been in the Branch of Caldera, a humid, tropical rainforest. Now, he stood on the frigid northern plains of the Frozen Harbor. The temperature was biting, a stark contrast to the heat he had felt just seconds earlier.

However, there was a chance it was not the same place he remembered. With that thought in mind, Kim Do-Joon wandered around, surveying the area.

After a quick inspection, his conclusion was clear: this was the Frozen Harbor he knew. The landscape was identical, with the battle scars from his past fights still etched into the ground. And then, there was the unmistakable sign.

"Human! You’ve come!"

A familiar voice rang out, and Kim Do-Joon turned to see none other than Ashunaga, the Nagaraja. After Kim Do-Joon slew most of the Nagarajas while conquering the labyrinth, she became the Nagas' ruler. Though she had risen to power largely due to his actions, there was no denying her strength now.

"Please, help me!" Ashunaga whined, rushing up to him.

She clung to him, begging in her characteristic pathetic way. Kim Do-Joon sighed, gently pushing her away.

"What is it this time?" Kim Do-Joon asked, slightly annoyed.

"It's a rebellion! A hiding Nagaraja has risen up against me!" Ashunaga cried out.

"Isn't he still weaker than you, though? Didn’t you say that Nagas are only as strong as the number of followers they have?" Kim Do-Joon raised an eyebrow.

Ashunaga pouted, clearly frustrated.

"He's not fighting me head-on. That wretch is slowly whittling down my forces with sneaky tactics! What a coward!"

So, he's got you completely outplayed in strategy.

The rebellion was not an outright war; it was guerrilla warfare. In other words, this Nagaraja was a competent strategist. After all, the word cowardly often translated to dangerously clever when it came from the enemy’s mouth.

"Please, help me! Human, you can take care of this in one clean sweep!" Ashunaga begged.

"No. I’ve got other things to do," Kim Do-Joon replied coldly, brushing her off.

"What a heartless human!" she whined again, but he had heard it all before.

Still, from the short conversation, he had a decent idea of the situation. However, just as he was about to tell her no again, a piercing sound suddenly rang out, echoing high above them.

― Kiiieeeng!

The sharp, shrill note cut through the air. Kim Do-Joon knew the sound well—it was the Naga horn, used to signal the presence of intruders.

"They're here! Please, just this once, help me," Ashunaga pleaded once more.

"We'll see," Kim Do-Joon replied, though the truth was, he had become curious about this rebellious Nagaraja.

If the enemy was already here, it wouldn’t hurt to see what all the fuss was about. Plus, it would give him a chance to assess this mysterious Nagaraja. With that in mind, Kim Do-Joon followed Ashunaga toward the source of the sound. However, as they moved, something struck him as odd.

Wait a minute... aren’t we heading back to where I came from?

The direction of the horn's sound was eerily close to Kim Do-Joon’s gate. Feeling an odd sense of anticipation, Kim Do-Joon hurried ahead. When he arrived, what he saw wasn’t a battle between Nagas, but instead, a one-sided fight between a human and a Naga. The human had deer-like antlers sprouting from her head.

“Mister!” the girl shouted.

It was Shura.

Seeing her, Kim Do-Joon's eyes widened in surprise. Shura, a member of the Mahal Tribe, stood amid the frozen landscape, fighting off the Nagas with ease.

"... How did you get here?" Kim Do-Joon asked, though he already knew the answer.

Behind Shura, glowing and still sizzling with residual energy, was the ring.

***

As soon as the fight ended, Kim Do-Joon grabbed Shura and immediately returned to the Branch of Caldera. On the way, Ashunaga had desperately clung to his leg, but Kim Do-Joon had no time to deal with her pleas. He casually kicked her off and stepped through the ring, arriving back at the Mahal Tribe’s tent.

"What was that just now? And where exactly were we?" Shura asked, clearly confused.

Kim Do-Joon didn’t have a simple answer to give. Instead, he made a request.

"Can you bring me a few people who aren't too busy?"

"People who aren’t busy? Got it!" Shura replied, running off.

A short time later, Shura returned, accompanied by three or four warriors.

"What’s going on?" one of them asked.

"I heard that you called us," another said.

The group wasn’t just any ordinary bunch, either. Among them was the tribal chief, Fuad, and even Jamel, a highly respected elder. The others, judging by their age and dignified presence, seemed to be senior figures as well.

"I told you to bring people who were free," Kim Do-Joon said, eyeing the group skeptically.

Shura shrugged. "When I said you were calling, they all claimed they were free."

Looking closer, it was clear that wasn’t the case. Fuad’s fingers were still stained with wet ink, and Jamel looked like he had been working in the workshop, sweat still dripping from his face.

Fuad smiled knowingly. "When a benefactor calls, it’s only right to respond immediately."

"A benefactor?" Kim Do-Joon replied.

"Yes, of course.”

The five-horned beast had terrorized the tribe for years, claiming the lives of countless warriors and forcing them to relocate their camps repeatedly. And Kim Do-Joon had killed that exact creature.

"The Mahal Tribe never neglects its benefactors," Fuad declared with pride.

For some reason, Kim Do-Joon couldn’t help but compare this to Ashunaga. She, on the other hand, had become more comfortable demanding more help from him. However, that was an issue for later.

Ring of Dominance.

Once again, a circular gate appeared in the air, a portal swirling into existence. This time, however, Kim Do-Joon was not connecting to the Frozen Harbor. He had another place in mind.

This should be suitable.

[Ring of Dominance: Elemental Island]

It was a place where elemental snakes lived in abundance.

"I was thinking about doing some hunting. Could you help me out?" Kim Do-Joon said casually before stepping through the gate, leading the way to the island.

Of course, hunting was not his true objective. He simply wanted to see if the Mahal Tribe members, aside from Shura, could cross into other labyrinths—specifically ones they had not been to before.

Once he arrived on the Elemental Island, Kim Do-Joon stood by the portal, watching intently.

"Where is this?"

“Wow!”

"Fascinating magic."

One by one, the Mahal warriors stepped through the gate, following him onto the island. The experiment was a success.

"Give us your orders," Fuad said. "You know this place better than we do."

Kim Do-Joon had to maintain appearances, so they ended up tracking and killing a few of the elemental snakes.

Even though it was a short hunt, the Mahal warriors moved through the area like fish in water. In no time, the snakes fell one after another. A monster with only an eighteen percent Compatibility didn’t stand a chance against them.

"This place is good," one of the warriors remarked.

"The prey is plentiful," another added.

"To think you knew of such a place... travelers truly know amazing things."

After the hunt, the group returned to the Branch of Caldera, carrying armfuls of snake meat. The Mahal warriors, clearly pleased with their haul, began preparing for a celebratory feast.

While they busied themselves with a snake meat feast, Kim Do-Joon quietly returned to Earth. He had been away from home for too long and still had a few things to check.

***

At the basement, Kim Do-Joon checked if he could open the Ring of Dominance from Earth and directly travel into a labyrinth. Drawing a circle in the air, Kim Do-Joon opened the gate. Sure enough, a portal appeared.

Setting the destination to the Elemental Island once again, he cautiously stepped through the portal, testing the connection.

[You do not yet own this dimension.]

A message appeared before Kim Do-Joon, blocking his entry. The rules seemed to have changed, making his previous ease of travel seem like a lie.

Does that mean I can’t enter the labyrinth directly from Earth?

The more Kim Do-Joon thought about it, the more that conclusion seemed right. Still, there was a silver lining: he had found a way to bypass the labyrinth’s usual cooldowns.

Normally, he couldn’t re-enter one for a week because every labyrinth had its own cooldown period. But now, by connecting one to another, he could sidestep those limits.

The labyrinth that would benefit the most from this would be Slime Grassland...

It was a place meant for recovery. Kim Do-Joon had never been injured enough to need it, but having unrestricted access to it was definitely a huge advantage. Just knowing it was an option put his mind at ease.

Then, he decided to test out something else. He left a Flame Totem in one labyrinth, then entered another, trying to see if he could use it to teleport between them.

Nope.

Kim Do-Joon shook his head. However, he wasn’t too disappointed. It was a long shot. Of course the rules of the labyrinth wouldn’t allow something so convenient.

In the meantime, he also tested a few other things, including how many portals he could open simultaneously, how far he could create them, and the limits of his abilities. As long as he had enough mana, he could create multiple gates, but they had to be within a few meters of him.

Then, his final, most important test.

Can I summon someone from a labyrinth to Earth just like Siwelin and Jecheon Seong? I can’t enter a labyrinth directly from Earth, but what about the other way around?

Kim Do-Joon hesitated. He was about to try summoning the Mahal Tribe from the Branch of Caldera, but then stopped. Instead, he opened a portal to the Middle Orc Kingdom.

Right, I have to be cautious. It’s better to test this with monsters first.

He stood there silently, watching the gate, waiting to see if an Orc could cross over from the other side to Earth. Since he could not enter, all he could do was wait.

After a bit of wait, the surface of the gate rippled like water, and a hulking Orc slowly lumbered through.

So, it’s possible for those from the labyrinths to come here.

It was almost like he had unlocked the power to open a dungeon right here on Earth. Well, close enough, since he could only enter from this side.

How can I use this ability?

Kim Do-Joon pondered as he stepped forward to handle the Orc. After all, he could not just let it run loose. However, before he could even make a move, the Orc dropped to its knees, bowing before him.

Thud.

What the...?

Kim Do-Joon stared down at the creature, puzzled.

Was it begging for its life?

He took a closer look and realized that was not the case. The Orc was not trembling in fear. In fact, if anything, its eyes were filled with something closer to awe. And then, suddenly, Kim Do-Joon remembered what Fuad had said earlier.

— Give us your orders.

That was when Kim Do-Joon finally understood why this ability was called the Ring of Dominance.