The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

Boom!

Lee Gwon-su has fallen.

Though he was stripped of reason, he had a second life bestowed upon him. Yet, even that flickered out.

Whoosh! Whirring!

A baby bee, having split open Lee Gwon-su’s crown, began flapping its wings, attempting to escape.

However.

【Lightning Strike】

A refreshing electric shower killed the bee on the spot above Lee Gwon-su’s crown without it even properly flapping its wings once.

Had it lived and escaped, it would have found another victim. The dungeon is vast, and there are many hunters ready to die.

Kang-hoo looked at the fallen Lee Gwon-su, a satisfied expression on his face.

Unfortunately, since it was treated as a dead being, the throne was not plundered.

The swordsmanship and skills themselves were quite decent, as they belonged to the body’s original hunter owner.

Thus, Kang-hoo had even considered a long-term battle. He saw hardly any gaps.

The devastation effect of the protective barrier was the turning point.

Lee Gwon-su, who possessed various skills to protect himself or drive enemies, became a half-baked swordsman once he couldn’t supply mana due to the devastation effect.

Cutting off the mana-dependent swordsman’s source left only a shell.

His level has reached 191.

If this is the experience gain from hunting one creature, then the travel expenses are more than recovered.

Before other hunters could appear, Kang-hoo immediately recovered a ring from Lee Gwon-su’s necklace.

The Corrupted Truth Ring.

It’s a set item with the corrupted conviction dagger he’s currently using.

【Corrupted Truth – Ring】

【Grade: 2nd】

【Strength +100】

【Stamina +100】

【Agility +100】

【Absolute resistance to flame, ice, lightning, and physical attacks increases by 5%.】

“Resistance is key.”

He reviewed the stats and basic tooltip first.

The stats were excellent, but the additional options were also appealing.

Absolute resistance means the effect is subtracted before any damage is applied.

For example, if you have 10% flame resistance and receive 100 flame-related damage:

First, it reduces to 90, and then the next line of defense is applied.

For this reason, if there is an attribute with 100% absolute resistance, it is invincible to that attack, no questions asked.

Indeed, within The Thirteen Stars, there exists a hunter with absolute resistance to a specific domain.

A prominent example is Chae Gwanhyeong.

He has 100% absolute resistance to freezing attacks, completely ignoring them.

‘Flame is the highest at 15%. Considering most magic-oriented hunters use flame, it’s a gain.’

His accumulated flame absolute resistance had reached 15%. Not a negligible figure.

There are no items, skills, or thrones that dramatically increase resistance.

So, it’s like accumulating grains of sand into a mountain. Carefully saved up, someday it will become a valuable trait protecting him.

Kang-hoo’s gaze remained on the item’s effect.

【Black Tears – All skill efficiency increases by 5%, damage by 10%.】

【Demon’s Whisper – If there are hidden stats, permanently increase by 25 upon wearing the ring.】

Black Tears was an option also present on the dagger. Items of the same series linking effects.

Demon’s Whisper was good news for Kang-hoo, who possessed a dark phase.

He immediately put on the ring to check the effects.

However, since he was already wearing the maximum of 10 rings, he removed the Hunter’s Blood, which only added 50 stamina.

And.

【Summon Corrupted Spirit (Corrupted Resolve)】

Lastly, he confirmed the linked set effect of Corrupted Resolve. Summon Corrupted Spirit was a skill.

【Summon Corrupted Spirit】

【Proficiency: Lv. Max】

【Using 100 mana, summons a dark wraith, a Corrupted Spirit, that reacts to dark phases and divine power.】

【The Corrupted Spirit only targets those who feel dark phases and divine power, and has no offensive capabilities.】

【In the ‘Corrupted Spirit’ state, it has no offensive capabilities, but it becomes capable of offense as a ‘Corrupted Summon.’ To achieve this, an upgrade requiring the permanent consumption of dark phases is needed.】

【Corrupted Summon Evolution – Dark Phase 200】

【Corrupted Evolution – Dark Phase 500】

“Except for the last two insane options, he’s quite decent.”

It was a valuable skill.

In essence, using Corrupted Spirits, he could find ghostly monsters whose main source is dark phases.

Useful in places like North Korea. There, Black Inducers and Black Shadows swarm.

Moreover, since it also reacts to divine power, it’s possible to find hidden healers and the like.

It’s unfortunate that it has no offensive capabilities, but if it did, it wouldn’t be a 2nd-grade item.

“I’ve fulfilled a wish.”

Securing a significant set item seemed to erase his fatigue entirely.

This is the power of set items. It creates unexpected variables in his abilities.

An assassin that can handle wraiths too. He’s slowly breaking out of the assassin mold.

Though he won’t lose his assassin identity, his ability to create variables is increasing.

After that.

Kang-hoo ventured further into the dungeon, spurred by a notion, but soon gave up and turned back.

The approach terrain was inherently disadvantageous for outsiders, coupled with a significant increase in monster difficulty, making it not yet feasible to tackle.

Moreover, being a dungeon within the liberation area, it wasn’t safe to let one’s guard down while moving around.

Although the Hayabusa Guild members had given up the chase midway and turned back, it was uncertain when they would regroup and return.

Thus, using lateral movement to stealthily escape, he immediately teleported to the entrance.

Since he had marked the location upon entering the dungeon, his return was instant.

“……”

For a brief moment, he spotted Ayane among the Hayabusa Guild’s gunmen, her distinctive gaze recognizable even behind a mask.

With no combat and a lull, no hunter detected the stealthed Kang-hoo.

Ayane, too, was seen pushing a chocolate bar through her mask, replenishing her stamina.

Having exited the dungeon, Kang-hoo crossed the still active battlefield.

As the effects of Mad Solarkium were about to wear off, he found a secluded spot to rest.

The aftermath of the battle with Lee Gwon-su, where he had exhausted all his strength, was more severe than he had anticipated.

He had timed his exit well, but the pain made him wonder what would have happened had he been late.

“Phew.”

Kang-hoo lay down on a cold rock, closing his eyes to avoid the spinning night sky.

A brief rest seemed like it would significantly improve his condition. A moment to catch his breath was all he needed.

Later, safely back at Rikou Tower, Kang-hoo watched the news that the battle in the Fukuoka Liberation Area had intensified.

The Hayabusa Guild, apparently struggling with their own forces, had hired a large number of mercenaries.

Hunters who had been active in Southeast Asia were now flowing into the Fukuoka Liberation Area.

The issue was that this was not an officially authorized visit by the Japanese Hunter Public Safety Bureau. Essentially, it was an illegal entry.

However, in a struggle for dominance in the liberation area, such legalities were of little concern.

The influence of the Japanese Hunter Public Safety Bureau didn’t even reach the Fukuoka Liberation Area in the first place.

He felt it was a timely escape. Had he hesitated even two days, access would have been much harder.

Now, only five more dark phase farming dungeons remained. The last of these, he would visit with An Yeong-ho.

Ayane was not a concern right now; he planned to contact her later.

However, suddenly thinking of Takashi, he sent him a DM via Huntergram. It was a simple message:

-Be careful on the roads, it’s raining.

He sent it without much thought and chuckled.

Telling someone who doesn’t go outside to be careful on the roads—an everyday greeting to someone living an unusual life.

He planned to forget about it after sending it, but a read receipt appeared as if it was awaited.

Then, the icon indicating typing appeared, but Kang-hoo turned off Huntergram.

At that moment.

Blink! Blink! Blink!

The alarms in each room of Rikou Tower began flashing.

An emergency broadcast ensued—an unusual situation for Rikou Tower, which rarely broadcasts.

“Hmm.”

Kang-hoo, dressed only in his underwear, hurriedly grabbed his clothes.

Meanwhile, the broadcast continued:

-Hosaka Kenji and Ishihara Yuuji have been spotted near Rikou Tower.

-They are tampering with the power facilities of the Support Tower, so an immediate response is necessary.

-Hunters affiliated and over level 300 are to gather at the main gate immediately.

“Set effect activation?”

Kang-hoo snorted.

The ‘set effect’ he referred to was the worst synergy that occurs when two crazies team up.

Hosaka Kenji excels in spatial utilization, and Ishihara Yuuji has traits of both a berserker and an assassin.

When these two sync up, it’s disgustingly painful for their opponents.

If they decided to engage in guerrilla warfare, there would really be no way to handle it.

Then, An Yeong-ho called him.

He was about to call anyway, but it seemed An Yeong-ho had something to say first.

“Hey, Yeong-ho.”

-Brother, no need to worry and just rest. This is our guild’s matter.

“It doesn’t seem too good though.”

-There’s no need for you to get involved.

It wasn’t the wrong thing to say.

It was an incident happening within Rikou Guild’s jurisdiction, so it was right for them to handle it.

But conversely, there wasn’t much the Rikou Guild could do if Kang-hoo decided to step in.

‘I’ve been curious about this.’

Kang-hoo’s eyes sparkled.

Hosaka Kenji and Ishihara Yuuji.

Both were unrivaled bastards, but apart from that, their skills were considerable.

They were a maddening combination, reminiscent of the Jang Si-hwan-Chae Gwanhyeong duo, which further piqued his curiosity.

Since Rikou Guild members were also gathering, he might be able to use them as shields if needed.

“Let’s hang up.”

-Brother, you’re not coming out, right?

“Handle it. I’ll take care of myself.”

-You’re really not coming out? The accommodations are safe, just stay there!

“Got it, hang up.”

The situation didn’t look good.

To Kang-hoo’s knowledge, today, including Fumiya, many executives had headed to the battlefield.

A full-blown war with the Toushi Guild was intensifying, and key forces had significantly shifted east.

Therefore, the current hunter force at Rikou Tower was likely weaker than expected.

Or rather, it was questionable if any real substance was left since the elites had moved east.

Casually turning his head outside the window.

Across from a hotel about 500 meters away, a man was dancing with his sword against Rikou Guild members.

Ishihara Yuuji.

The madman was clearly visible.