The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

Before the space isolation was lifted, Mun Hyeong-seo’s eyes twitched as he saw the black shadow die.

He got goosebumps.

It wasn’t because he was scared of Gang Hu.

It was because Gang Hu ended the black shadow with an unexpected counter skill of such firepower at such a fast pace.

Mun Hyeong-seo had never killed a black shadow in one blow like that. It was an impossible scene.

To kill a wraith-like monster like the black shadow in one hit, the conditions were extremely difficult.

For example, it had to be a form that utilized a large amount of holy power or dark energy to wipe it out at once.

That meant Gang Hu could handle dark energy.

Is he saying that an assassin, not even at level 200, can handle dark energy?

It’s because it’s extremely difficult to master and even harder to gather a usable amount once mastered.

But Gang Hu seemed to already have a sufficient amount of dark energy. It was unbelievable.

“Come out slowly. The situation is over.”

Gang Hu spoke with a smile in the direction he assumed Mun Hyeong-seo was.

He must be thinking various thoughts inside the isolated space. Wondering what kind of skill it was.

Meanwhile, Gang Hu was examining the dark energy stats he obtained by killing the black shadow.

【You have defeated the 'Black Shadow' and obtained the randomly activated dark energy stat '20'.】

‘This is a real gain.’

He couldn’t help but smile.

He got much more dark energy at once than he expected. Thanks to that, his dark energy stat was now 120.

The reason this stat is so precious is that the seventh stat cannot be increased by investing points.

It could only be increased purely by hunting monsters or obtaining items.

Items with the seventh stat option were very rare, making them extremely difficult to acquire.

So, defeating things like the black guide or black shadow was the only way to increase it.

But even that followed strict probabilities, and the probability itself was in the single digits…

There were more situations where he couldn’t get it than where he could.

If he hunted monsters of this type all day, getting even 1 point would be a lot.

Considering all the time focused on obtaining dark energy, it was like saving about a month.

All from a single battle.

Eventually, Mun Hyeong-seo returned to the original space as the isolation was lifted and bowed deeply towards Gang Hu.

It was because Master K had repeatedly asked him to take good care of Gang Hu as if he were himself.

Failing to live up to the words of the master, whom he revered more than a god, filled him with immense self-reproach.

“I’m sorry, Lord Gang Hu. It was my fault.”

It was surprising to see Mun Hyeong-seo, who wouldn’t blink even if poked in the eye, showing such weakness.

It meant that K’s request had absolute significance to him.

But Gang Hu had no intention of blaming Mun Hyeong-seo.

The reason he was isolated was simply that the black shadow had targeted him.

Conversely, if the black shadow had persistently targeted Gang Hu, he would have been the one isolated.

“Don’t worry about it. The choice of that thing is always a gamble. It wouldn’t be strange no matter who it chose.”

“But…”

“Let’s be thankful it ended in a happy ending. I had some fun too.”

Although his level didn’t rise, Gang Hu was satisfied as he gained a considerable amount of experience at once.

Especially the increase in the dark energy stat was welcome.

It would allow him to upgrade the already powerful Black Moon Slash to another level.

Mun Hyeong-seo, thinking that continued apologies might be burdensome, changed the subject.

“It was a brilliant response. The skill attack was so clean. I couldn’t have anticipated it at all.”

He wanted to somehow ease the awkward atmosphere created because of him.

At this point, he felt embarrassed about his sharp response and warning to Gang Hu during their first meeting.

Mun Hyeong-seo knew that the skill Gang Hu used to kill the black shadow was far from ordinary.

He had some guesses but deliberately kept quiet. Gang Hu hadn’t mentioned the skill either.

Mun Hyeong-seo was a man of few words, thanks to Master K’s teachings.

Moreover, since Gang Hu was a special guest of Master K, he didn’t want to divulge any secrets.

If anything, he would rather keep them hidden. However, he wanted to show his respect for Gang Hu.

“The timing was perfect.”

“I’m still a bit dazed. That thing shouldn’t appear south of Ground Zero.”

“It doesn’t seem like it came down on its own. Someone might have deliberately brought it.”

“Are you saying it could be the work of a hunter?”

“It’s not impossible. The black shadow is an intelligent being. It could have made some kind of agreement with a hunter.”

“Hmm…”

“It’s all speculation. Anyway, it’s better not to use the word ‘impossible’ in the future. There’s no 100% certainty.”

“I’ll correct that.”

“What’s there to correct? Just give yourself good feedback. It’s not bad to consider various scenarios.”

“That’s true.”

Mun Hyeong-seo nodded.

Even though he was receiving advice, not advice, from someone much lower in level than him.

He didn’t feel bad or prideful about it. It made sense, after all.

Luckily.

Thanks to Gang Hu’s brilliant response, the incident with the black shadow ended as a mere happening.

Mun Hyeong-seo made a resolution.

As Gang Hu said, he would erase the word ‘impossible’ from his mind.

Because it seemed like a very dangerous idea. It limits one’s thinking.

In that sense, Gang Hu’s response this time felt even more impressive. He learned something good.

Of course, it was partly because both Gang Hu and Mun Hyeong-seo moved while focusing more on the surroundings.

They did witness some hunter gangs picking fights and clashing with each other along the way.

But since it was a personal matter, they ignored it. There was no need to act out of a sense of justice.

Before they knew it, they arrived in front of Kim Sin-ryeong’s villa.

Calling it a villa was an understatement; it was more accurate to call it a mansion or a large hideout.

Even if they took a car from the entrance, it seemed they would need to go much further inside.

The distance from the main gate to the actual residence was quite long.

‘There are already some casualties.’

As Gang Hu glanced inside from outside, he saw quite a few hunter corpses here and there.

Strangely, there was no smell of rotting bodies. Was there some special treatment done to the fences or the interior bushes?

The corpses of the dead hunters were slowly drying up, looking unusual.

As if they were slowly being drained of life, becoming nutrients for something else.

‘Perhaps part of the security and surveillance system of the entire villa is powered by biomass.’

Various speculations were possible.

Thinking that the entire vast space of the villa was a test area made his chest feel heavy.

There was no fear of failure. If his life seemed to be in danger, he could use teleportation.

Of course, if that happened, he wouldn’t pass Kim Sin-ryeong’s test, and the subsequent steps would be complicated.

At that moment.

Mun Hyeong-seo pressed the visitor bell at the main gate.

As if she had been waiting, a husky female voice was heard as soon as the bell was pressed.

-Who is it?

“It’s Mun Hyeong-seo. I came with the client sent by Master K. We are ready to meet.”

-I would like to see the client’s face.

Kim Sin-ryeong’s voice and tone had a color that could easily be called unpleasant, depending on how one listened.

She could be someone who lived with a sense of superiority, or someone with great pride.

It didn’t matter either way.

Now was the time when the colorless talisman, which could only be obtained from her, was essential.

Gang Hu moved to a position where he could be seen well on the screen and slightly leaned his face forward.

Then, a response came immediately.

-Oh? You’re handsome? Hyeong-seo, looking at you like this, you seem like a squid* by comparison.

“…Must you say such things here?”

Mun Hyeong-seo made a perplexed expression, but he didn’t think Kim Sin-ryeong was wrong.

Anyone could see that Gang Hu had an attractive appearance. Mun Hyeong-seo had an ordinary face at best.

-I just wanted to see the face. Hyeong-seo, you follow the person I send and come inside.

“Yes.”

-Our handsome client must enter according to the rules I set. Do you agree?

“Sure.”

Gang Hu nodded.

-If you feel like you’re going to die while doing it, you can run away anytime. Just don’t expect to show your face here again.

“See you soon.”

Gang Hu replied confidently.

He had finished his research on her to a certain extent. The outline was sufficiently drawn.

And then.

Creak…

The firmly closed iron gate of the main entrance began to open slowly.

At the same time, a maze area with thick darkness, formed by bushes and thorny plants, appeared not far away.

It looked tricky enough to make one think it wouldn’t be easy. It was the start of the ‘test.’

Following the guide, Mun Hyeong-seo moved through a special underground passage and could immediately meet Kim Sin-ryeong.

Because Kim Sin-ryeong and Master K had a deep friendship, Mun Hyeong-seo naturally became close to her.

Kim Sin-ryeong handed a warm cup of coffee to Mun Hyeong-seo and asked with eyes full of curiosity.

“What sudden wind blew that he, who rarely sends clients, sent one this time?”

“He wants to help.”

“Oh ho… That person, who rarely opens his heart to outsiders?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Can you tell me what kind of person he is? That way, it would be fun to watch here, wouldn’t it?”

Dozens of screens were displayed where Kim Sin-ryeong pointed.

They all showed the maze and trap zones inside her villa in high definition.

It was possible to zoom in on the screen if needed and to switch angles as well.

The system was designed for specialized observation, to the extent that one could say it was made for realistic viewing.

“On the way here, we encountered a black shadow. I don’t know the reason, but that was the situation.”

“Ah? Recently, there have been frequent hunter disappearance cases on Ulleungdo. Was it that thing’s doing?”

Kim Sin-ryeong’s eyes sparkled.

The fact that many hunters had been sacrificed didn’t seem to affect her much. The same was true for Mun Hyeong-seo.

Perhaps because disappearances or deaths were commonplace in this world, there was no special thought about it.

“Yes. But during the initial response process, I was isolated due to my inexperience.”

“Then does that friend mean he faced the black shadow one-on-one? What happened to the black shadow? Did it escape?”

“No. It died. With a single attack, split exactly in half.”

“Oh ho? Is that possible?”

“Yes. It seems possible.”

Kim Sin-ryeong unknowingly licked her lips with her tongue. It was a unique reaction when her interest was piqued.

Just then.

【Challenger, First Area Passed.】

A message popped up on the monitor, indicating that Gang Hu had passed the first trap.

It was the most cautious area because it was just the beginning. So it was expected to take quite a bit of time.

But Gang Hu had already passed.

“Look at this guy…”

Her lips curled into a smile.

A fun guy had appeared.

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