The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

Poison Suppression

It’s an effect that defends against poisoning.

Of course, it doesn’t cure the poisoned state, so eventually, an antidote must be consumed to clear the poison.

But it blocks the path to becoming poisoned, making it somewhat akin to being half-immune.

Healing Suppression

This effect activates when the target under this effect is attacked.

If the target’s health is above 75% of the total, it prevents any healing mechanisms from working.

For instance, a hunter with a total health of 100 who suffers damage from Kang-hoo, who has the healing suppression effect, and drops to 80, would not be able to use potions or healing skills because the health is above 75% of the total.

The duration of healing suppression is 30 minutes, which might not seem long, but in the context of battle, it’s considerably lengthy.

Normally, skilled hunters meticulously recover their health from the beginning as it starts to drop.

That’s because there are hardly any skills that dramatically restore health later on.

Even if there are, they require a healer with a named title to make it possible.

However, being in a ‘debuff’ state with healing suppression makes it impossible to attempt recovery from the beginning.

The peak point where healing can be attempted significantly lowers, adding psychological pressure.

‘Since many hunters use poison adeptly, poison suppression has significant meaning.’

While healing suppression is beneficial, Kang-hoo rated poison suppression higher.

This made Kang-hoo no longer need a healer.

Usually, their role involves granting immunity or detoxifying poison states.

But if there’s already immunity, there’s no need to seek a healer’s aid. Kang-hoo has his ways of recovering health.

It seemed fitting to strike through ‘healer’ from the list of needed partner professions moving forward.

Bluntly put, they were nothing but a burden and experience thieves.

Of course, the narrative shifts significantly with a combat healer like the Savior Saint, Elizabeth.

With the substantial upgrade of the necklace this time, the health stat naturally exceeded 500.

To be precise, 545.

With such a figure, physical attack damage from hunters below level 75 can almost be considered negligible.

It’s a survival of the fittest scenario, where the strong thrive within the system-influenced concept of stats.

Magic damage from skills would still affect him, but physical damage could essentially be ignored.

‘Those wielding knives can now be sufficiently disregarded.’

Kang-hoo smiled in satisfaction.

At the lower levels, swordsmen are particularly abundant. With abundance comes a proportional increase in mediocrity.

Moving forward, he could fully leverage the health stat he had diligently accumulated when dealing with such individuals.

After receiving the authentication certificate for the Breath of the Traitor necklace and the official guarantee certificate from the Shinto Guild from Yu Cheonghwa.

As he arrived in front of the elevator to say goodbye, she initiated the conversation again.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“Have you seriously considered joining our guild?”

“No, I’d rather not think about it seriously yet.”

“That’s quite blunt, isn’t it?”

“Given what I know about the light and dark sides of the Shinto Guild, it’s not particularly appealing.”

Yu Cheonghwa’s expression stiffened for a moment before relaxing at Kang-hoo’s candid response.

Kang-hoo knew.

If you join the Shinto Guild, they’ll fully support you, but leaving the guild is not an option.

Contrary to appearances, the Shinto Guild was obsessively possessive about its talents.

Especially the guild master, Go Cheon-young, was recognized as a madman among madmen in the original story.

If he couldn’t have a talent, he wouldn’t let them live to benefit others; that was his principle.

The Jeonghwa Guild, too, could not dare to compete with the Shinto Guild, being so dark and, frankly, filthy.

Yu Cheonghwa had meticulously kept Go Cheon-young’s wrongdoings under wraps, pondering whether Kang-hoo might be aware of them. However, she deemed it unlikely, attributing his behavior to a general distaste for major guilds instead.

“I understand. I hope we can meet again if fate allows it.”

“I appreciate seeing the good items. If I have the chance, I’ll come to buy more. There are many things I like.”

“You’re always welcome! I’ll be here since we’re operating as a permanent store this year.”

“Got it.”

Ding.

Soon, the elevator arrived.

And Kang-hoo vanished from Yu Cheonghwa’s view.

Though it was a typical farewell scene between a seller and a buyer, often witnessed in the market,

“…I didn’t expect even my last attempt to be thwarted.”

Yu Cheonghwa bit her lip, frustrated by the failure of mind control, which proved ineffective even when she believed Kang-hoo was sufficiently at ease.

It was rare for her to become so fixated on someone, but Kang-hoo had ignited an unusual fascination within her.

Ironically, she didn’t even know Kang-hoo’s real name, let alone his alias.

After departing from the VIP market of the Shinto Guild, Kang-hoo didn’t head to Seoul but made his way directly to Osan Station.

His sights were set on the Gold Goblin’s Mine dungeon, currently the scene of a fierce conflict.

Checking the news on his smartphone, Kang-hoo discovered that events were unfolding more rapidly than anticipated.

In the original storyline, the Pyeongjeong-Bastard alliance managed to fend off the Jeonghwa Guild in up to three direct confrontations.

They leveraged home ground advantage and successfully employed guerrilla tactics to disrupt the enemy’s rear.

However, the news reported that the alliance had been decisively beaten in the second direct confrontation.

They were now desperately recruiting unverified mercenaries, a worrying development.

This indicated a need to bolster their ranks, suggesting significant casualties.

Thus, Kang-hoo made his way to Osan before it was too late.

If the Gold Goblin’s Mine dungeon fell into the hands of the Jeonghwa Guild, it would be too late to enter.

Then, he would miss the opportunity inside, and it would eventually fall into Jang Si-hwan’s hands.

He didn’t want to see that happen, even in death.

The area around the Gold Goblin’s Mine dungeon was uneventful, likely due to the chaos.

It was getting dark, and a forecasted downpour significantly reduced visibility.

The relative lack of interest here was probably because the fierce battles were happening elsewhere.

No one in their right mind would venture into a dungeon leisurely during a guild war.

Entering was one thing, but timing the exit wrong could lead to emerging amidst enemies, resulting in instant death.

There were indeed people near the dungeon.

Hunters from the Pyeongjeong-Bastard alliance and the Jeonghwa Guild were facing off around the dungeon entrance.

They were keeping watch.

Both sides prevented each other from entering the dungeon, naturally not entering themselves either.

Kang-hoo stealthily moved towards the dungeon entrance, using the lampposts as cover from their sight.

He also used the Shadow Step skill to hide his presence as much as possible and quietly approached the dungeon entrance.

He was cautious with his footsteps.

Being out of their sight didn’t mean he was completely undetectable. A mistake could still reveal him.

Fortunately, the forces deployed here seemed to be surplus personnel not needed for combat.

Despite Kang-hoo quickly approaching the dungeon, they seemed utterly oblivious.

And after a while,

“That was easy.”

Kang-hoo could enter without difficulty.

It was a kind of burglary made possible because both sides were too busy watching and guarding against each other.

“My body feels significantly lighter. I definitely move faster now. It’s good even without using skills.”

Kang-hoo kept fiddling with his necklace, clearly satisfied.

Basic stats don’t lie. They consistently reveal their value, especially when enhanced.

This is why hunters invest in items.

No matter how much money you save, it never seems to be enough. There’s always something new you find yourself wanting to buy once you have the funds.

Like today, when Kang-hoo spent 110 billion won just to acquire a grade 2 necklace.

“Sigh.”

He took a deep breath and, looking forward, noticed the mining routes splitting into three, just as he remembered.

Since the dungeon’s starting point was at the base of a mountain housing the mine,

the surroundings were dominated by rugged mountain paths, including several cliffs with sheer drops.

About 5 minutes from the starting point, by foot, the path diverged into three distinct routes.

The west route is known for magic stones, the north for experience points, and the east for skill books.

The goblins that appear here are equipped with high-tech devices and can fire magic bullets, making them formidable opponents in one-on-one battles.

Furthermore, the weapons looted from goblins cannot be used outside the dungeon, which is a disappointment.

The moment you step outside, they immediately corrode into ash, rendering them useless externally.

Of course, inside the dungeon, you can seize and use them as much as you like.

‘Since leveling up wasn’t my goal anyway.’

Kang-hoo chose the east route, aligning with his original objective.

Not for the revenue from skill books, but for the ‘fateful encounter’ point located along the east route.

In the original story, Jang Si-hwan found his fateful encounter in that secret space.

Since it’s 4 years before the story’s conclusion, that event hasn’t occurred yet. In other words, it’s a place he’ll visit within the year.

He immediately set off.

Because other uninvited guests could enter the dungeon at any moment.

Given that he entered a dungeon in a city currently embroiled in conflict, it was unpredictable when a battle might erupt.

After about 5 minutes of walking,

He came upon a fork in the road.

Once you choose a path here, it’s very hard to switch to a different route without going back to the starting point.

Just then,

“……?”

Kang-hoo suddenly felt a chilling presence coming from the north route, making him shiver.

It felt even colder than the depths of a frozen lake. It was a dark aura.

Who could it be?

The aura was so strong that even the Troubleshooter’s claw marks seemed insignificant in comparison.

‘Could it be?’

Kang-hoo clenched his dagger.

In an uncertain situation where the opponent could not be identified, it was best to be ready for combat at any moment.

Even just from the aura felt, it was clear the entity was far more skilled than himself.

“Ah, I’m hungry. Did I refine it for too long?”

Then, a voice came from a blind spot hidden by rocks.

Refining, in the original story, often referred to handling power or aura that amplified irregularly.

It seemed there was some issue the opponent had to deal with.

“Yawn…….”

Soon, with a yawn, the mysterious identity revealed itself.

He was walking towards Kang-hoo, shirtless, with steam visibly rising from his body.

The next moment,

“Huh? A lookout?”

He recognized Kang-hoo first.

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