The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

The second Constellation Trial followed immediately.

Thinking it better to do it sooner rather than later, Kang-hoo didn’t hesitate to proceed.

With the immediate continuation to the second trial, the number of observing Constellations increased by 50%.

‘The stakes have really gone up.’

The more Constellations watching, the better.

Even if he could appeal to just one or two, it would be a gain.

[Eliminate the monster 'Dinato'.]

“Hmm?”

The instruction for the second Constellation Trial was too simple compared to the first.

At that moment, Kang-hoo saw a colorful, shimmering silhouette materialize out of thin air.

It wasn’t humanoid like the Plazgelum he had faced before.

The monster was massive, easily surpassing the size of a 15-story apartment building.

“……”

Kang-hoo’s lips curled slightly.

He had expected the Dimension Plunderer to assign a challenging mission, but this was an unexpected twist.

Facing a giant monster was a whole different ball game from his previous battles.

Especially for assassins who rely on close combat, confronting such a large creature was daunting.

One wrong move and he could be crushed to death.

‘Considering the upcoming Hell of Judgment raid, this might be necessary practice.’

He tried to see the positive side.

There was a major event led by the Jeonghwa Guild coming up soon.

The Hell of Judgment raid.

A massive 1,000-person raid, the only one to hire mercenaries from outside.

Designed as a gigantic dungeon, it featured numerous mid-level bosses and many secret terrains.

Creatures like Dinato were common there. It wouldn’t hurt to have this experience in advance.

Of course, the only issue was that this wasn’t just practice but a life-risking Constellation Trial.

[Your fourth privilege from me as your contractor will be linked upon completion of this trial.]

“Are you trying to provoke me?”

[Haha. It's not meant to cause alarm. It's just that I can't grant the privilege beforehand.]

“You really are mischievous.”

Kang-hoo gripped his Blood Dew dagger in reverse. The method to combat such a monster was surprisingly straightforward:

Avoid unnecessary scouting and aim directly for the head by ‘climbing’ the creature’s body.

Stabbing the thick ankle, thigh, or torso with a dagger would be futile.

A fatal blow to a humanoid could be a mere scratch to a monster.

Hence, aiming for the head, the main control tower, was essential.

Even monsters with steel-like skin didn’t have equally tough brains.

Crunch!

He chewed on a Mad Solarkium.

Only three were left.

He had already used half of the six he obtained from Ground Zero.

They were difficult to acquire, yet quickly consumed.

But given the effects of Mad Solarkium were significantly stronger than regular Solarkium,

Kang-hoo decided to use this advantage strategically.

It was precisely for moments like this that he had acquired the Mad Solarkium.

Roar!

Dinato, having spotted Kang-hoo, began to move its house-sized foot.

The sky seemed almost covered by the vast and heavy foot, leaving Kang-hoo no time to think otherwise.

A counterattack? An absurd choice.

He had to avoid it at all costs.

Who would think to stop or counter a falling car from the sky?

Dinato’s foot was just like that.

Swoosh!

Leaping backward to create distance and then propelling forward, Kang-hoo secured his first position.

He planted his dagger into Dinato’s calf.

Now, he climbed like ascending a rock wall, methodically making his way up Dinato’s body.

The problem was that Dinato was no fool.

Noticing Kang-hoo in an annoying spot, Dinato began to move its other foot, trying to brush him off like scratching an itch.

“Damn.”

Kang-hoo withdrew his dagger from Dinato’s calf and slid diagonally, opting for a strategic retreat over a reckless advance.

[The Constellation 'Strategist of the Wilderness' nodded in approval of your cautious evasion.]

[Some Constellations assessed your rapid and excellent strategic decision-making consecutively.]

The response from the Constellations was positive, even though it wasn’t a grand performance.

‘There’s no rush.’

This sudden thought led Kang-hoo to change his approach to the Constellation Trial.

If he was confident he could kill Dinato without facing significant danger, why not mix in a bit of drama while combating the monster?

Opportunities to display one’s capabilities in front of numerous Constellations are rare.

In fact, it’s a special situation only provided during Constellation Trials.

Otherwise, most Constellations only focus on their areas of interest.

With so many Hunters in the world, not all Constellations could focus on Kang-hoo.

Thus, he thought it best to add more dramatic elements to this moment.

Despite the life-threatening nature of a Constellation Trial, this thought made him even bolder.

‘Yeah, definitely crazy.’

A smirk escaped him.

He wondered if this was a side effect of the Mad Solarkium, feeling too calm, perhaps even fearlessly foolish.

Since the path upward was clear, as long as he could avoid Dinato’s checks, it seemed feasible.

The first check using the opposite foot was slower than Kang-hoo had anticipated.

Swoosh!

He plunged the Blood Dew back into Dinato’s body.

Sighing deeply, he began to climb again.

Two steps forward, one step back.

A lesson in the art of patience, essential to reach the monster’s head.

Throughout the climb, Kang-hoo skillfully handled unexpected challenges while ascending Dinato.

For instance, when passing near Dinato’s groin, a parasitic creature suddenly appeared.

It was a giant centipede, the size of a human, living off the monster’s body.

Thanks to his long-range strike skill, like Lightning Speed, dealing with it wasn’t an issue.

A typical assassin would have found a ranged response impossible.

But for Kang-hoo, it was a feasible strategy, eliminating the need for dangerous close combat.

Thus, Kang-hoo quickly neutralized the uncertainties.

He deliberately crafted and evaded crises, rapidly increasing the interest and tension among the observing Constellations.

Most Constellations granted only a modest amount of stellar energy as sponsorship, insignificant to them but meaningful for Kang-hoo.

This ‘spare change’ sponsorship cumulated into a substantial buff.

The experience bonus from the second trial alone amounted to 55%.

Experience bonuses might seem trivial at the moment, but over time, they accumulate to significant growth.

The growth rate of a Hunter with a 100% bonus is drastically different from that of one without any bonuses.

While the difference might seem small over a day or two, over a year or two, it becomes immense.

‘Keep the sponsorships coming. Why save your spare change?’

Confident, Kang-hoo continued his ascent, performing various stunts on Dinato’s body.

He feigned falling into danger, narrowly avoiding Dinato’s attacks.

While every situation seemed close, Kang-hoo had ample leeway within.

[The Constellation 'Strategist of the Wilderness' expends a large amount of stellar energy to grant you a substantial buff.]

[Experience Increase +15%]

‘Good.’

Kang-hoo felt immense satisfaction seeing the experience buffs continuously accumulate.

The Strategist of the Wilderness, like others who began substantial sponsorships, granted significant buffs.

The total experience bonus Kang-hoo had accumulated reached +150%.

Where another Hunter would gain 10 experience points from the same monster, Kang-hoo would gain 25.

For Kang-hoo, specialized in monopolizing, a 150% bonus was more than just a number.

In the meantime,

Kuhuh. Kuhuh. Kuhuh.

Kang-hoo had reached the area near Dinato’s Adam’s apple.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As two hands targeted him, Kang-hoo easily evaded with a lateral move.

‘I can handle a monster of this caliber.’

He had set his own estimate.

If the monster wasn’t agile, Kang-hoo could handle it with his abilities.

However, if the monster’s movements or reactions improved by even 20%, it would become significantly more challenging.

All this was possible thanks to Kang-hoo’s acceleration skill, which allowed him to push his body to the limit for maximum speed.

Without acceleration, Kang-hoo was sure he would have been disarmed by now.

Then,

Swoosh!

Kang-hoo leaped powerfully from near the Adam’s apple, vanishing into Dinato’s nostrils without hesitation.

For Dinato, this was the beginning of a complete nightmare.

A filthy space, yet a critical vulnerability.

Kang-hoo mercilessly sliced through the nostrils, tore out the eyes, severed the nerves, and dug into the soft brain.

No matter how gigantic, a monster couldn’t withstand having its brain thoroughly mangled.

Groooar…

Thus, Dinato, reduced to Kang-hoo’s ‘plaything’ for the Constellations’ entertainment, breathed its last.

Contrary to the Dimension Plunderer’s expectation of a struggle,

Kang-hoo, using a combination of his numerous skills, easily overcame the monster.

[Not bad at all.]

The Dimension Plunderer’s brief but intense message was conveyed.

Although it seemed like a minor comment, Kang-hoo knew it was significant praise and recognition from her.

“This is nothing,”

he shrugged.

Had he expected to fail, he wouldn’t have taken the challenge in the first place.

He was always confident, just short of 100% sure. After all, 99.9% isn’t considered perfect.

[When we ran a preliminary test, the survival rate for this trial was 15%. Yet you succeeded.]

Hearing this from the Dimension Plunderer, Kang-hoo was momentarily puzzled.

“…?”

A test calculated to be nearly fatal, given to him?

He had always thought her mischievous, but this was extreme.

Her words didn’t seem like a joke.

The Dimension Plunderer.

Could she have been planning to kill him?

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