The conversation with Emilia had deepened unexpectedly considering it was their first meeting that day.
From Kang-hoo’s perspective, he wondered why Emilia shared such thoughts in front of him.
On one hand, he thought she must not be scared of him at all to bring up any topic so casually.
After all, speaking more to someone who posed no threat wouldn’t expose any weaknesses.
“Joining hands with a malevolent constellation to understand evil better. Doesn’t it sound plausible?”
“Hearing a serial killer claim the world made them this way sounds just as delusional.”
“That’s what I believe. To truly understand pure evil, one needs to experience it firsthand.”
“Saying you need to kill someone to understand a murderer sounds exactly the same.”
“Ha-ha. Just the reaction I expected.”
Kang-hoo had countered Emilia’s words, yet his tone remained calm.It was evident he listened attentively to her.
‘According to the original story, Emilia’s joining The Thirteen Stars is almost certain. But there could be variables.’
That’s what Kang-hoo thought.
He couldn’t fully trust what Emilia had just said. There was no reason to harbor false hope.
But what if, just what if, she had joined The Thirteen Stars out of curiosity about evil?
She could be different from people like Jang Si-hwan and Chae Gwanhyeong, who had dreamt of being subordinates from the start.
Perhaps she had joined The Thirteen Stars for her own glory and riches, not solely driven by a conviction to serve a demon lord.
One shouldn’t jump to conclusions.
However, if there was even a slight possibility of a different outcome, the future could change entirely.
“Know what’s interesting?”
“What?”
“I can see the potential of every hunter I meet as a single, quantified figure.”
“Oh?”
It was intriguing.
Since Emilia’s original character hadn’t been detailed, this was new information.
A constellation that could discern potential was enticing even for Kang-hoo.
“Why do you think I took a particular interest in you, Jung Sun-kyu, amidst a crowd?”
“Because of high potential?”
“Not just high. According to the constellation, your potential is limitless. It means you have no bounds.”
“……”
It might have sounded self-congratulatory, but that constellation had accurately perceived his true nature.
He could predict and foresee the future, and he was someone who could carve his own path toward it.
His growth potential and routes were boundless, so viewing his potential as infinite wasn’t strange at all.
“That’s why I was curious about you. Are you merely a person with high potential? Or are you someone who realizes their own high potential?”
Emilia’s eyes glowed red.
She had tried to control Kang-hoo’s mind several times, but of course, she had failed.
Despite this, she occasionally attempted it again, smirking bitterly each time she was blocked.
Kang-hoo knew exactly what she was attempting.
He also thought that if it came to a power struggle, she could definitely overpower Kang-hoo.
The difference in their strengths was clear.
However, Emilia was curious about the limitless potential she had never encountered since becoming a hunter.
Even the constellation that valued her so highly had quantified her potential.
Only Kang-hoo received an infinite rating from it. In simpler terms, his potential was immeasurable.
Emilia continued.
“The conclusion is the latter. You look at me without any fear, behaving as if you can see through everything, right?”
“Do I have to like it?”
“Ha-ha. That’s up to you. But I thought you were someone who accurately understands their own value.”
“I’m quite aware of what direction I should pursue and what my limits are.”
“Right. I sensed that. You’re not arrogant, but filled with confidence. Exactly on that fine line.”
“I feel like if I get praised a bit more, my fingers might start to wear down.”
“Jung Sun-kyu. If you have time, come to the Emilia Tower in Paris later. Let’s meet again.”
“Is this a scouting offer?”
“Let’s just call it a curiosity between hunters. I know well that someone like you wouldn’t join easily, no matter how many times I try.”
Emilia shook her head.
Her extensive experience had told her so.
Hunters who clearly understood their own greatness and capabilities never casually aligned themselves with someone else, nor did they easily allow others by their side.
Because they knew their worth better than anyone.
They neither sought subordination nor gave a chance for it. If you tried to get close, they flew away.
Emilia felt the same aura from Kang-hoo and accurately perceived it.
“Just allow me to register your face once. Then you can come and go without any restriction.”
The unexpected offer of face registration.
Kang-hoo didn’t refuse.
His name wasn’t being publicized, and a mere known face was not something to worry about.
On one hand, he was intrigued.
He never thought he would form a connection with The Thirteen Stars in such a way.
Coincidences came without a sound, and today’s meeting with Emilia was exactly that.
If he hadn’t impulsively decided to come to the Hongcheon Liberation Area, it wouldn’t have happened.
Returning to the downtown area of the liberation zone, Kang-hoo immediately went shopping.
Already owning a good weapon, the Blood Dew, he excluded weapons from his list of interests.
Wearing the Asura’s Breastplate, which was efficient, he wouldn’t need to look at anything below grade 4.
By excluding parts that didn’t need replacement, he narrowed down his focus.
Assuming the options were decent, he calculated that replacing a necklace and bracelet could be worthwhile.
Rings, in particular, seemed like the least burdensome part to upgrade.
His stat direction was clear.
Stamina, anti-magic, and toughness.
Kang-hoo was interested only in these three areas.
‘Anti-magic 95, toughness 320.’
He checked his stats again.
Thanks to diligently wearing the right items, these two stats were quite high.
Considering the difficulty of boosting defensive stats for the assassin job class, its significance was even more remarkable.
‘It’s high for an assassin of a similar level, but low by my standards.’
Kang-hoo was not satisfied.
He increasingly found himself entangled with more skilled hunters.
Just today, he had met Emilia, and before that, he had a skirmish with Kang Dong-hyun.
Against such hunters, 100% evasion was impossible.
No matter how skillfully one dodged, some attacks were bound to hit.
Eventually, you would get hit once or twice. The opponent wasn’t a fool. You couldn’t win every calculation.
That’s why stats like anti-magic and toughness, which allowed the body to endure hits, were really important.
‘Using a skill to block means losing a turn in defense.’
From a defender’s perspective, the best scenario was not just to block well, but to be able to endure hits.
That’s what made Kang Dong-hyun a fearsome entity - his toughness.
Most attacks didn’t faze him, so attackers couldn’t calculate the gap in his defense.
Even if their attack succeeded, there was no certainty it would slow down the opponent’s offensive.
Kang-hoo meticulously browsed the market and selected one of the items he had carefully chosen.
It was a place with a sign in red letters that read “No Bargaining,” so he didn’t attempt to negotiate the price.
“Let’s go with this one.”
“That will be 10 billion won. The exact price.”
“Indeed it is.”
The item Kang-hoo purchased from the seller was a grade 3 item. It was a matte black ring without any distinctive features.
[Shadow of Desire - Ring]
[Grade: 3]
[Toughness + 75]
[Anti-magic + 75]
It was a pretty decent ring.
Improving both stats simultaneously was quite challenging.
With the new ring, Kang-hoo’s toughness rose to an impressive 395, nearly reaching 400.
At this level, except for a direct hit from a deadly move, he could avoid instant death.
Given the huge difference between life and death, this was a very significant stat line to reach.
For a typical assassin following the normal growth curve, achieving such a toughness stat by level 300 was unlikely.
“Earning money is hard, but spending it takes just a second.”
Kang-hoo looked at his bank balance, which had plummeted to 6.6 billion won, and made a bitter face.
Though his financial scale had changed since right after his possession, it still felt like child’s play compared to hunters like Jang Si-hwan or Chae Gwanhyeong.
It’s easy to find ways to splurge if you set your mind to it.
He wished he could remember lottery numbers from the original work, but there was no mention of the lottery in it.
Just then,
a broadcast for the entire liberation area began.
It wasn’t a usual broadcast but one that aired only when there was a main event in the liberation area.
In other words, a death match was imminent.
The death match was one of the main sources of income for the liberation area.
A huge amount of money was bet on the death matches, where hunters staked their lives.
With the liberation area’s authorities taking a 5% betting fee, it was a goose that laid golden eggs.
“Betting is just right for ruining oneself.”
Kang-hoo was about to turn his steps toward another market.
While betting on a death match could multiply money two or three times,
it was also possible to lose tens or hundreds of billions in an instant.
Once you start thinking about recovering your principal, there’s no way to get it back.
Stories of hunters who lost money, threw tantrums, and ended up as ghosts with severed necks…
were no longer just urban legends.
The numerous false graves (假墓) around the special stadium where the death match took place were proof.
The false graves were for hunters who, after demanding money and causing trouble, were killed by the liberation area’s management organization, Kenax.
Just then,
“Hmm…?”
The moment Kang-hoo’s eyes landed on the large electronic billboard displaying the faces of the death match participants, his gaze froze.
He didn’t recognize the first few hunters.
But Kang-hoo vividly remembered the last face that flashed across the screen.
Even before the man’s name appeared on the billboard, Kang-hoo found himself murmuring it.
“Park Sang-oh?”
This was a person who should not die at this point if things followed the original!
Yet there he was, boldly listed among the death match participants.
An opportunity to place a bet with a 100% chance of winning had just presented itself.
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