The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

What Park Dong-jae produced was a magical stone.

Kang-hoo showed no particular change in expression, as Jeon Se-hyuk hit Park Dong-jae on the back of his head.

“Hey! This is just a magical stone. What’s so great about it that you had to keep us waiting and even wrap it up?”

“It must mean something.”

Contrary to Jeon Se-hyuk’s opinion, Kang-hoo did not think lightly of Park Dong-jae’s magical stone.

Park Dong-jae’s personality wasn’t one to make a rude joke if he had manners.

Then, Park Dong-jae warmly accepted Kang-hoo’s words.

“Right! This guy was the first magical stone I obtained in a dungeon. After carrying this around, things have really gone well for me.”

“Like a talisman?”

“Yes, exactly. I’ve survived death five times with it, and I even found two buff skill books I needed. If this isn’t a talisman of luck, what is?”

“You weren’t carrying this magical stone when you were kidnapped by the Kashimar Guild, were you?”

“That’s correct…”

Kang-hoo smirked.

It seemed like the wrong time to laugh, but a laugh came out anyway. He seems to really think of it as a talisman.

That’s possible.

Superstitions aren’t created for no reason. The reason routines develop is similar.

Whatever the reason, the magical stone seemed truly precious to Park Dong-jae.

So.

Ironically, he didn’t want to receive it.

“Let’s leave it at that. I’ll take the thought.”

“Eh? Is it because my return gift is too shabby? This is just an initial gift.”

“It’s not about that.”

“I plan to continue expressing my gratitude to Mr. Seon-gyu as I earn money. It won’t be disappointing.”

“No, it’s not about the amount. It’s just that receiving it feels like a burden. So, let’s just leave it at that.”

“Ah…”

“If you really want to repay me, how about volunteering to go to a dungeon together later? How does that sound?”

A counter-offer was made.

Having a buffer like Park Dong-jae for free would be the best deal.

Of course, that meant he planned to take him to a very challenging dungeon. That’s how to make the most of it.

“Of course! Actually, a lifetime free pass is also possible! Really!”

“Up to a lifetime, though.”

“I’m sincerely offering. They say the most blessed person is the one who is most grateful.”

“Calvin Coolidge.”

“Oh! How did you know?”

“It’s one of my favorite quotes.”

“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.”

“Jacques Maritain.”

“Wow! You have quite the knowledge of quotes?”

“I’ve answered two.”

“Anyway, this guy Dong-jae… Sorry, Mr. Seon-gyu. He really likes this kind of conversation.”

“No. I also enjoy being able to use my niche knowledge.”

Kang-hoo shook his head.

Park Dong-jae’s character was clear. He’s also a character who really enjoys reading.

The reason Park Dong-jae could grow into the best buffer was because he had read countless papers by hunters.

He used papers for indirect experience and research material for things he couldn’t experiment with or challenge himself.

“Anyway, please do call me. Whatever happens, I’ll prioritize Mr. Seon-gyu’s request.”

“Then I’ll make good use of the chance. Take the magical stone back. Bring it when we go to a dungeon together.”

“Ah! Got it. Hahaha!”

Park Dong-jae’s lively and positive demeanor was a pleasure to see.

Perhaps it’s because of his character that he meshes well with colleagues like Jeon Se-hyuk, who has a serious side, or Ban Se-yeong, who is unpredictable.

Compared to Kang-hoo himself, his personality is at the opposite end of the spectrum, but that made him all the more interesting.

---

The drinking session deepened.

One of Seoul’s advantages, aside from the high cost of living, is the convenience of being able to drink comfortably anytime, anywhere.

Staggering along dark streets poses no issue whatsoever.

He obtained quite a lot of information from the conversation with the two.

First, he learned that Park Dong-jae dislikes Eclipse just as much as Jeon Se-hyuk does.

Two of his decade-long friends were kidnapped by Eclipse, their life and death unknown. He’s still looking for them.

Thus, Park Dong-jae had spent a long time planning and had planted an insider within Eclipse.

The fact that Jeon Se-hyuk could learn about Cha So-hee’s death from Kang-hoo was also thanks to this insider.

Park Dong-jae referred to his entire network of insiders as the “Black Network.”

And he said that the influence of the Black Network extends to almost all significant guilds and warlords in the country.

The network of information was much broader than Kang-hoo had thought.

In this respect, he was much more meticulous and strategic than he appeared on the surface.

Park Dong-jae knows all the information from the insiders connected to the Black Network.

But the insiders do not know each other, not even a minor clue was ever shared.

“I need to hold on to him tightly.”

The expected value of Park Dong-jae, already high for being a skilled buffer, skyrocketed.

Of course, Park Dong-jae himself seemed oblivious to his own worth, but it was clear to Kang-hoo.

The Black Network seemed like it would be very helpful.

The reason Park Dong-jae currently had no money was because maintaining the network required a tremendous amount of funds.

It was inevitable.

If prioritizing the safety of the insiders, more financial support for their activities would be necessary.

The number of drinks they had kept increasing, but strangely, no one was getting drunk.

At one point, Jeon Se-hyuk had to leave the table for a call requiring security.

Kang-hoo and Park Dong-jae remained. Park Dong-jae filled Kang-hoo’s glass to the brim and changed the topic.

“I heard from Se-yeong and Se-hyuk that you overwhelmingly updated the highest record of the maze dungeon.”

“I did.”

“And I heard that you almost single-handedly crushed the internal strategy.”

“It ended quickly.”

“Se-hyuk and Se-yeong, surprisingly, are picky about praising outsiders. To be exact, they’re very cold.”

“I see.”

“But when they talk about Mr. Seon-gyu, it’s nothing but praise. No, they said there’s nothing to criticize.”

“The maze dungeon strategy went smoothly since it was our first time together, and we coordinated well.”

“That’s the thing. Even if the synergy is off, if you go together a few times, it gets twisted and twisted again.”

“It was quite fun.”

“I scored lower than Mr. Seon-gyu…”

“Injury?”

“No. It made me want to tackle a dungeon properly with such a person!”

It was a typical Park Dong-jae response.

He likes challenges and adventures.

That led him to Ground Zero, where he was kidnapped.

Likely, Park Dong-jae would enjoy dungeons that test limits and offer trials more than ordinary strategies.

“The dungeon that Se-hyuk handed over to me, we’ll tackle it soon. Let’s sync up then.”

“Good. As I said earlier, I’ll go for free! Shall we shake on it?”

“Suddenly?”

“To firmly grasp hands in advance, to see if we sync up well! We’ll sync our feet later.”

“Are you joking right now?”

“…Did you not find it funny?”

In various ways, Park Dong-jae was a character with a clear personality.

---

The drinking session with the two ended in the early hours of the morning, and Kang-hoo slept soundly until that evening.

Since he had no plans afterward and it had been a while since he drank heavily, he wanted to rest well.

During his sleep, he received a light morning greeting from Jin Hyo-young, but since he was asleep, the message was automatically ignored.

Kang-hoo wasn’t in a hurry, so he thought it might be a good opportunity to test his patience.

As evening turned into night.

Kang-hoo, who had arranged to meet with Lee Ye-rin, headed straight to Daejeon Station to meet her.

The purpose was to check on Yun Sang-mi’s condition and also discuss the direction of future requests with Lee Ye-rin.

As soon as he got off at Daejeon Station, Kang-hoo called Yun Sang-mi.

She answered the phone earlier than expected.

Yes, brother.

“I wanted to ask how you’re feeling.”

Me? I’m good. But I’m about to enter a dungeon now? Let’s talk later. Bye!

“…….”

The call was cut off before he could reply.

Usually, Kang-hoo was the one to hang up first, but today it felt like the roles were reversed.

Anyway, it seemed like her condition was good enough to enter a dungeon, which relieved him a bit.

Given Yun Sang-mi had gone through trouble because of him and his work, it was natural for him to worry.

Then.

“What are you doing standing around in front of the station? I called you from behind, but you didn’t respond.”

Someone tapped Kang-hoo on the shoulder from behind. It was Lee Ye-rin.

They had planned to meet a bit further from Daejeon Station, but she seemed to be coming out of the station too.

“Ah, I just finished a call.”

Kang-hoo’s eyes lit up as he spoke. It was because Lee Ye-rin’s constellation had increased by two since last time.

‘It wouldn’t be surprising if she’s gearing up for rapid growth.’

Considering Lee Ye-rin’s future position, a steep growth curve starting now wasn’t strange.

It was probably around this time.

When she began aggressively merging and acquiring small mercenary groups and buying out their dungeons.

Lee Ye-rin’s mercenary group, Cheong-an, wasn’t large, but her network was wider than imagined.

Thus, with the money she had consistently earned, she had enough capital to finance the acquisitions.

“Shall we move to a more private place? Today’s topic is somewhat serious. We also need to maintain security.”

“Where should we go?”

“Let’s go to my mercenary group’s building. It has sufficient security facilities, so it’s safe.”

“Alright.”

It was his first visit to her mercenary group’s building.

Until now, they usually met near Cheong-an Mercenary Group’s permanent information booth in front of Daejeon Station.

The Cheong-an Building, located about 1km west of Daejeon Station.

They resumed their interrupted conversation only after entering a perfectly soundproofed room inside the Cheong-an Building.

Lee Ye-rin was the first to speak.

“The mercenary market is unusual these days. With the surge in demand for mercenaries, the supply shortage is worsening.”

“It sounds like good news for a requester like me.”

“That’s true. Not to mention the fees for requests, but also the success and life compensation have skyrocketed.”

“There must be a reason for the sudden increase in demand.”

Kang-hoo asked, even though he already knew, wanting to confirm once more.

The reason was obvious.

It was because of the war among pharmaceutical companies, known as the “White War.” The current situation was like the calm before the storm.

“The pharmaceutical companies are expanding the battlefield. You know, right now, the price of stimulant drugs in our country is the highest in the world.”

“Yes, I know. I heard that foreign countries are desperately trying to establish supply lines here.”

“It seems like the pharmaceutical companies have made up their minds. If they can monopolize the market instead of sharing the pie as they are now.”

“They could rake in the money.”

“Exactly. And with this trend, foreign capital is also entering the market.”

“Each pharmaceutical company must have different backers. There must be those from China and Russia, right?”

“Of course. The number of foreign hunters entering from those two countries this month has jumped by 450% compared to the previous month.”

“That’s crazy.”

The signs were definitely not good.

Aside from the war among pharmaceutical companies, this could lead to an international war among mercenaries.

The domestic situation was bound to get very noisy.

It would be a relief if it were just noisy, but it was likely to be bloody.

The curtain of the White War was gradually rising.

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