The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

Chapter 171: Mystery Dungeon (2)

The demonstration ended quickly.

Kang-hoo showcased all his skills except for the hidden technique ‘Black Moon Slash/White Sun Slash’ and a few key abilities.

Since he would have to use them in the dungeon anyway, there was no burden in revealing them.

The conclusion drawn by the three who meticulously examined Kang-hoo’s skills was simpler than expected.

There was a reason why Park Dong-jae confidently recommended him.

Kang-hoo was entirely different from the image of an assassin they had in mind.

All three of them gave the highest score to the diversity of Kang-hoo’s skills.

The variety of skills is something that cannot be ignored for a hunter.

In baseball terms, it’s like a pitcher having a variety of breaking balls.

Kang-hoo had so many skills that it was hard for the opponent to predict his moves.

By the time they had checked over fifteen skills, they had given up remembering each one.

“I told you, Kang-hoo hyung has more than what we can imagine.”

“Dong-jae, enough. It’s embarrassing.”

Kang-hoo sent a glance to Park Dong-jae, who was promoting his charm on his behalf.

Though he was incredibly grateful, it was awkward to be praised so earnestly.

Of course, it felt good.

Seeing the reaction of the three becoming much more favorable made him feel even prouder.

“Thank you for the demonstration. It was impressive. Now I understand Dong-jae’s confidence.”

Jang Tae-jin was the first to give a direct response.

As the younger brother of Jang Sun-young, the master of the Myeongga Guild, he was a significant figure.

With his recognition of Kang-hoo, the reactions of the other two followed suit.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“I would say we’re lucky not to face him as an enemy… Is that too much?”

Choi Ho-soo and Yeon Su-a added their responses. They were genuinely favorable, not just empty words.

‘This is going to be fun.’

Kang-hoo also looked forward to exploring the mystery dungeon with them.

Although it was unpredictable and likely dangerous, that made it even more exciting.

The biggest feature of a mystery dungeon is that it provides ‘compensation experience points’ for lower-level hunters.

As the lowest-level hunter among them, Kang-hoo had high expectations for the experience points.

Moreover, since the middle bosses and main bosses did not follow a fixed pattern or number, there were many factors to exploit.

As long as he didn’t die, the rewards he could get were much more diverse and plentiful than in a regular dungeon.

Before entering the dungeon, Kang-hoo checked an item he had delayed examining.

It was a ring he obtained from a hunter named Jung Seon-rak during a mission related to the First Research Institute.

He had cut off Jung Seon-rak’s finger and taken two rings.

One ring was specialized for mana, which he planned to sell.

He had considered selling it when he met Kang Bok-hwa but missed the opportunity.

The other ring, which he had been wearing, was just now being examined for its options.

He hadn’t rushed to check it because it didn’t seem urgent.

【Lightness - Ring】

【Grade: 3rd Grade】

【Agility +200】

【Magic Resistance +15】

【Durability +15】

It was a ring specialized in agility.

For the Qi Gong master Jung Seon-rak, it was likely to compensate for his lack of mobility.

For Kang-hoo, it was a well-suited ring.

More stats are always better, and agility increases basic mobility when skills aren’t available.

Due to his congenital mana hypersensitivity, Kang-hoo had focused on developing stamina.

It wasn’t that agility wasn’t important; it was just that stamina had been his top priority for survival.

So, a ring specialized in agility was a welcome addition.

‘I need to stay sharp. If I get overwhelmed by the tasks, that’s a bigger problem.’

He realized he needed to regain his focus amidst the hectic schedule.

Holding onto useless items was a loss in itself.

He needed to quickly convert them into cash, exchange them for useful items, or use them to buy higher-level items.

The dungeon exploration began.

It was likely the last schedule before going to Japan.

As soon as they entered the dungeon, what greeted Kang-hoo’s party was not the dungeon’s unique atmosphere or background.

It was a rain of arrows pouring down as soon as they entered. Archers who had taken the high ground and were lying in ambush.

They were humanoid archer monsters, resembling elf archers from fantasy movies.

When Kang-hoo recognized the situation and began to respond, his teammates were already reacting.

Pak! Papak!

Choi Ho-soo stood at the front, inflating his body to its maximum, taking the arrows with his bare body.

‘Is that possible?’

Kang-hoo, who had moved away from the team with a purpose, was astonished to see Choi Ho-soo taking the rain of arrows.

Even if he trusted his skill ‘Petrification,’ he couldn’t endure it so boldly.

Choi Ho-soo was bleeding profusely but was taking the attacks with his thick skin.

Additionally, special outer skin was activated to protect vital and vulnerable areas like the eyes.

His setup was perfect for tanking.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

Jang Tae-jin created Qi walls here and there, blocking the threatening paths of the arrows flying from all directions.

Wiiiiing…

Yeon Su-a, burning a talisman, created a magical barrier that significantly slowed the speed of the arrows.

Inside that barrier, the arrows moved so slowly it seemed as if even time itself had slowed down.

Within the barrier, Yeon Su-a could wave her hand and collect the arrows one by one.

Park Dong-jae was pouring defensive buffs on Choi Ho-soo, who was taking most of the arrow rain.

‘They’re all good.’

Kang-hoo was very pleased with how no one panicked and everyone responded skillfully and calmly.

It showed what professionalism was all about, and it was clear why they took pride in themselves.

But just then.

‘Is that the leader?’

Kang-hoo identified a particularly intense presence of mana at the fingertips of one of the archers.

Unlike the other archers, the amount of mana infused in a single arrow was beyond imagination.

The scarier part was the incredibly short time it took to concentrate such high-powered mana into one point.

Kang-hoo, repeatedly accelerating and leaping, quickly closed the distance and reached out towards the archer.

It was the preparatory action for the abduction skill.

Though it had been a while since he last used the abduction skill, it seemed very fitting for the current situation.

“Ugh!”

The archer leader groaned as he was pulled towards Kang-hoo by the abduction skill.

Piiing!

In the meantime, an arrow left the bowstring, flying towards the direction of the group.

And then.

Swish… Thunk!

The arrow passed through Yeon Su-a’s barrier without any interference and lodged into a tree behind them.

Had Kang-hoo not created a variable with the abduction, someone would have been severely injured.

“Oh.”

A short gasp escaped.

The power the archer leader possessed was enough to make one’s spine tingle. Thankfully, they avoided a crisis.

All three sets of eyes turned to Kang-hoo. They had narrowly avoided danger thanks to him.

Meanwhile, Kang-hoo, behind the abducted archer leader, wrapped his arm around his neck and stabbed him with a dagger.

It was a decapitation with full power, intended to kill in one blow.

And at the same time.

Paang!

Five shadows shot out from Kang-hoo, rushing towards the group of archers chaotically.

Pook! Pook! Pook!

As if one decapitation wasn’t enough, Kang-hoo stabbed the archer leader’s neck a few more times with the dagger.

Then, activating Blood Flower without hesitation, he chose one of the shadows and moved.

He found himself in the middle of the archer group, far from the archer leader.

Boom!

The bloody explosion of the archer leader was like a scene from a movie.

The leader, who had been proudly shooting arrows, now lay headless on the ground.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

In sync with that, Kang-hoo changed positions four times in a row, slaughtering four more archers.

The archers, not expecting the shadows to become ‘solid,’ were helplessly stabbed to death by the dagger.

They had taken the high ground in advance, but once an uninvited guest started rampaging within, the archers, weak in close combat, had no answer.

Attempting to hit Kang-hoo by swinging their bows ended in complete failure.

Pook!

“Keuk!”

Instead, they had their arrows taken by Kang-hoo and were stabbed in the eyes or neck, dying miserably.

Moreover, the Blood Flower that came to every wounded archer was like a grim reaper.

“Is this the power of an assassin?”

“This is exactly the kind of proactive and aggressive assassin we always wanted.”

“In other words, an active assassin.”

At that moment, the three who were watching Kang-hoo’s one-man show each made comments of admiration.

They thought they had dealt with the situation very skillfully themselves.

They believed that after defending, if they initiated a counterattack, the situation would settle easily.

But Kang-hoo went a step further and completely overturned the enemy’s ambush site.

Additionally, recognizing the distinct characteristics of the archer leader, he pinpointed and killed him through abduction.

As a result, the four, including Park Dong-jae, avoided injuries. This was an undeniable fact.

Park Dong-jae spoke to the three, who were admiring, with a triumphant look.

“What do you think? Isn’t he amazing? His judgment and execution are all fast. It’s really hard to keep up.”

“We can’t make a final judgment based on just one instance, but his initial response was much faster and sharper than ours.”

Jang Tae-jin nodded in agreement.

It wasn’t natural for an assassin. Even if they moved fast, it was hard to subdue many enemies so quickly.

“If the arrow had come straight, Ho-soo would have been hurt. If he dodged, I would have been hurt.”

Yeon Su-a added her opinion.

Kang-hoo’s action to neutralize the archer leader’s attack was significant.

She thought the power of the arrow could vary, but she hadn’t expected it to come through the deceleration barrier.

The more she reflected on it, the more relieved she felt. A sigh of relief naturally came out.

Then.

“Wait!”

Kang-hoo urgently shouted, stopping the team from moving forward.

With the archers subdued, it seemed there was nothing more to worry about…

But Kang-hoo, who had already approached, was at a spot less than 50cm from Jang Tae-jin’s foot.

Scrape. Swish. Scrape.

Using the tip of his dagger, he lifted a man-sized trap hidden in the ground.

It was a magical explosion trap that reacted only to a certain weight.

A trap no one had sensed or expected. It seemed Kang-hoo had seen it.

“……”

A moment of silence followed.

It was a moment that made them realize again why Park Dong-jae had so confidently praised Kang-hoo.

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