The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

The effect of the splendid fight with Bejumie was immediately apparent.

[All constellations of the 'Warm Wave' applaud you.]

[They use the collected star energy to grant you a significant buff.]

[Recover 1% of health every 10 seconds.]

“Oh ho.”

The first to react was the Warm Wave, a group of moderate constellations.

They had supported me quite a bit during the last Constellation Test, but this time they sponsored a different form of buff.

1% health recovery every 10 seconds.

That’s not a small amount.

Moreover, since it continues to apply even while sleeping, the effect is especially good when combined with sleep.

It wouldn’t be strange to say that most of the health is recovered upon waking up.

[Great Calamity - The Darkness was deeply impressed by the perfect death you gave to Bejumie.]

[It evaluates that your potential is much higher than it thought.]

“Well, of course.”

With the praise from the Great Calamity - The Darkness, my shoulders tensed up with pride.

The Strategist of the Wasteland also boosted Kang-hoo’s mood with similar compliments.

However, unusually quiet was the Dimension Plunderer, who would normally have interjected.

Was it jealousy?

Or was it preparing something else? Its silence made me think differently.

“Bejumie was cut down while escaping through the side door! Push harder! The main gate is also worth a try!”

Meanwhile, Kim Su-kyung, having witnessed Kang-hoo splendidly subduing Bejumie, issued more aggressive orders.

He considered redirecting some forces to the side door breached by Kang-hoo but soon abandoned the idea.

The frontal engagement was fiercer than expected.

This meant the side door defense was almost non-existent. The enemy forces were concentrated at the main gate.

In this situation, if the key forces were diverted to the side door, it could undesirably focus attention there.

Kim Su-kyung trusted Kang-hoo’s ability to single-handedly suppress Bejumie and decided to entrust him with the side door route.

No matter what situation unfolded inside, Kang-hoo seemed capable of handling it adeptly.

Just then.

“It’s a trap!”

A member of the Kim Su-kyung Mercenary Corps, who was trying to penetrate deeper, shouted urgently.

Kang-hoo, who was about to enter the side door, turned his attention to the shout.

The mention of a trap implied an imminent explosion. Could the sacrifice be prevented?

Ziiing!

At that moment, Kim Su-kyung, who had moved to the very front, stretched out both hands in the air and deployed a skill.

Kang-hoo quickly set up a protective barrier to withstand the aftermath spilling from the side door.

And then.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The trap exploded.

The firepower was considerable.

With such firepower, hunters exposed at close range couldn’t avoid injury.

Thump! Thump! Thud!

But the large, elongated defensive wall deployed by Kim Su-kyung perfectly absorbed the explosion.

Casualties? None.

There were even no injured members of the mercenary corps. The trap’s explosion was neatly blocked.

“That’s desirable.”

Kang-hoo’s eyes shone.

Kim Su-kyung couldn’t help but think that he wasn’t named for nothing. In terms of defense, he truly was a specialized hunter.

If it came to a one-on-one with Kim Su-kyung.

Even if Kim Su-kyung couldn’t kill him, the thought crossed his mind that with his solid defensive abilities, there would never be a day Kim Su-kyung would die.

Bang! Bang!

Meanwhile, gunshots, which hadn’t been heard for a while, started ringing inside the abandoned factory.

Given the different sounds of the gunshots, there seemed to be at least two demonic snipers.

“Be careful not to get exposed to the snipers! And also…”

As Kim Su-kyung was quickly issuing orders to his subordinates and was about to make an additional request to Kang-hoo, he turned his head.

But Kang-hoo had already disappeared, presumably having entered through the side door.

“So quick.”

He assessed the situation on his own.

The feeling that he empathized with the leader’s perspective and quickly found what he needed to do was strong in Kang-hoo. It seemed he already knew what to do without being asked.

Shortly after, a few areas visible from the main gate, where Kim Su-kyung was observing, caught his eye.

These were blind spots for the Osho Mercenary Corps guarding the abandoned factory.

Kang-hoo had already moved up to the second floor and was navigating a path where the light barely reached.

His target was the demonic sniper positioned on the second floor.

The advantage of a demonic sniper is the ability to unilaterally secure a high point and target the opponent.

However, the downside is that they have to let go of their focus on their own location to concentrate on sniping.

This is because, in the process of ‘securing’ a position, they tend to underestimate the likelihood of exposing themselves.

The assurance of relative safety leads them to choose it as their sniping point. That’s their blind spot.

“Really fast.”

Kim Su-kyung saw that Kang-hoo, who had just seemed to have entered the beginning of the second floor, had changed his position in an instant.

He definitely had some kind of leaping or acceleration skill.

Having such a skill wasn’t strange in itself, but considering Kang-hoo’s level, it was exceptionally odd.

No matter how calmly considered, Kang-hoo’s skill composition and firepower were too disconnected from his level.

In fact, the word ‘too much’ felt insufficient to describe it. Perhaps ‘makes no sense’ would be more accurate.

Then.

Whish. Whish.

There were just two attacks.

And spewing red blood from their necks, the two snipers futilely fell from the second floor down below.

It was a clean suppression.

The two snipers, who hadn’t even been aware of Kang-hoo’s presence, lost their lives without being able to react.

Kang-hoo had thoroughly hidden his presence and figure by adding the curtain of artifice to his Shadowless Skill.

Combined with the sniper’s blind spot of being focused on sniping, the two met their grisly end.

[You have killed the target and stolen the contract with 'The Lonely Meditator.']

[You have killed the target and stolen the contract with 'The Lazy Genius.']

‘The profit is substantial.’

Kang-hoo wore a satisfied expression.

The Lonely Meditator was a constellation that provided a buff to increase mental concentration by 10%.

An increase in mental concentration meant an improvement in skill casting speed.

Although not dramatically noticeable, it certainly reduced the necessary absolute time.

The Lazy Genius was a constellation that provided a buff to double mana recovery.

Considering the synergy with innate mana hypersensitivity, it was like adding wings to a running horse.

In fact, this was also the reason Kang-hoo targeted the two snipers as soon as he entered the factory.

Since they were enemies who had to be killed anyway, it was most important to plunder useful constellations.

Whirr! Thud!

A practice dagger, thrown with a time difference using the speed of light, pierced the back of the head of an Osho mercenary on the first floor.

As the bodies of the snipers fell to the first floor, the Osho mercenaries also began to panic.

The realization that the area above, where the snipers had been, was no longer safe dawned on them.

The sense of unease quickly intensified, changing the atmosphere inside the abandoned factory.

“Push forward!”

Kim Su-kyung, reading the flow like a ghost, ordered the mercenary corps to be more aggressive.

Moreover, with the late arrival of the 2nd team breaking through the back door route, the momentum definitely shifted.

‘What on earth is Jeon Jong-du doing?’

However, Kang-hoo was curious about the whereabouts of Jeon Jong-du, who was nowhere to be seen despite the situation unfolding this way.

Although the overall atmosphere had shifted, the Osho Mercenary Corps still maintained a balanced stance.

It wasn’t that Jeon Jong-du had simply run away. If that had been the case, Kim Su-kyung would have been notified.

All routes around the abandoned factory were guarded in anticipation of Jeon Jong-du’s escape.

Since Jeon Jong-du wasn’t an assassin type like Kang-hoo, he couldn’t escape without leaving a trace.

If he hadn’t run away.

Even in a balanced situation, it was strange that Jeon Jong-du’s appearance was delayed in a place where the battle situation could change at any moment.

‘There’s only one reason for this.’

Something came to mind.

A reason why he couldn’t come to the battlefield even in an urgent situation.

It’s when he absolutely needs time to maximize his combat power.

One of the many settings in the original work. Something like a martial arts-style Absorption Technique?

If Jeon Jong-du is a berserker who gains strength from the flesh of hunters or monsters, the prediction fits.

Then, he would be gathering strength to respond to the unexpected attack of the Kim Su-kyung Mercenary Corps.

There must be a place inside the abandoned factory where Jeon Jong-du could be hiding.

He searched intently.

The sooner he was found, the better.

Berserker types often exhibit power far beyond their known level or combat power.

That’s the advantage and disadvantage of the berserker job class. Overall, there are many unpredictable elements.

There was a need to reduce variables.

‘There it is.’

Then, a faint light was seen between a space piled with miscellaneous items and utensils in a corner of the second floor.

At a glance, mixed with the surrounding lights, it was hard to detect the presence of a different light.

However, calmly observing from a place free of enemy attacks, a slight gap was visible.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Ugh.”

Traps continued to be triggered.

The Osho mercenaries found themselves being pushed back by their own defense lines, as the traps reacted to the Kim Su-kyung Mercenary Corps.

It was a strategy deliberately designed to drag out time, undoubtedly to buy time for Jeon Jong-du.

“……”

Kang-hoo once again used the Curtain of Artifice to enter stealth mode, unnoticed by anyone.

As he quickly approached the gap, an eerie silence pervaded, as if nothing was inside.

There was a faint light, however.

There was no sign of life, not even a hint of warmth escaping.

However,

‘I knew it.’

An invisible, densely woven barrier was in place.

Its reaction was unknown, but it was likely an offensive barrier prepared for intruders.

It could either cause an explosion by condensing mana or induce burns by generating high heat.

Despite the high maintenance cost, the fact that it was installed in this space confirmed its importance.

Squeeze.

Kang-hoo gripped the Blood Dew a bit tighter.

It was to quickly attack Jeon Jong-du in case of a combat situation. The path had to be as short as possible.

‘This is my first real fight with a berserker.’

The fight with Jo Young-jae was technically his first battle with a berserker hunter, but it was a bit ambiguous to call it the first.

That guy was a hunter with skills far inferior to Jeon Jong-du, barely worth the dirt under a toenail.

On the other hand, Jeon Jong-du was a berserker and simultaneously specialized in grappling.

A ‘monster’ with a body size and unbelievably thick forearms that made the previously fought Bejumie look small.

That’s why he couldn’t help but be tense.

With Jeon Jong-du, once you get caught, there’s no next move.

A predetermined ending awaits.

Whether it’s the waist or neck, getting folded like a flip phone and facing death without being able to unfold again.

In other words, a farewell to this world.

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