Chapter 33: The Great Decapitation (2)
Han Seung-hyeok tilted his head.
The amount offered was attractive.
Guilds commonly did not rent dungeon licenses to strangers on the first meeting.
So, there was nothing unusual about quoting a slightly higher price.
From the lenders perspective, if things did not align, they could simply choose not to rent.
However, Han Seung-hyeok could not understand why Kang-hoo was interested in the Baltman Dungeon.
It would be understandable if the dungeon offered sweet experience points or guaranteed high-quality magic stones.
But the Baltman Dungeon did not have such guaranteed perks.
The boss Baltman was indeed a distinctive monster, but the rewards were not special.
Han Seung-hyeok asked,
May I know the reason?
Ive wanted to tackle this dungeon for a while, and I had a very good dream last night.
Do you think you might get a good item?
Something like that.
Thinking of burning 1 billion won on a dream seemed absurd to Han Seung-hyeok.
What dungeon is a lottery ticket? To justify 1 billion won, one must at least acquire a Grade 4 item.
Anyway, as Kang-hoo seemed quite eager to rent the dungeon license, Han Seung-hyeok changed his tune.
Hmm. Since its quite in demand, youll have to pay 1.2 billion won.
Scratch.
Kang-hoo pushed his chair back and stood up without a word, not even looking at Han Seung-hyeok.
If he had to pay more, he might as well negotiate from scratch with a warlord.
Warlords always wanted to amass military funds, so they frequently dealt in licenses.
Uh, excuse me?
Han Seung-hyeok was flustered.
The managers commission for license rental was 10%. The original offer already guaranteed 100 million won, but things seemed to be going awry.
1 billion! Lets settle at 1 billion! I got a bit greedy there, but lets cleanly cut it off at 1 billion!
Kang-hoo stopped.
Han Seung-hyeok probably thought it was a good deal.
Selling a dungeon license that did not sell well.
But for Kang-hoo, it meant something entirely different.
For an assassin class, a skill like Great Decapitation is a rare find.
Even when available through a skill book, its expensive.
At a minimum, it would cost around 10 billion won.
If such a skill could be acquired for 1 billion won using a trick, it would undoubtedly be a bargain.
Of course, from Han Seung-hyeoks perspective, who was oblivious to the complexities, Kang-hoo might appear to be a fool.
It was better for him to think that.
They agreed on the deal.
When can I go?
Kang-hoo turned his head to ask Han Seung-hyeok the most vital question.
The timing couldnt have been better.
The entry time for the Baltman Dungeon was in six hours.
Apparently, it reset at that time.
Thus, Kang-hoo rented a motel room near the Baltman Dungeon to wait.
Feeling slightly lethargic, he took a cold shower to revive his waning spirits.
After the shower, Kang-hoo checked the stock of Solarkium in the refrigerator.
Seven wont be enough.
The Baltman required considerable firepower, and in the event of trouble, the Solarkium might run out quickly.
It looks like I have no choice but to head to Ground Zero.
A visit to Ground Zero was necessary, regardless of the task involving Jo Gu-bin.
Once he resolved to go, numerous worries surfaced.
Ground Zero was a wilderness in the truest sense.
It was teeming with all manner of mutant monsters and outlaw hunters.
Furthermore, hunters from North Korea sometimes ventured south, raising the possibility of encounters.
Unsurprisingly, relationships with North Korean hunters were strained. If he was unlucky, they could even become adversaries.
Beep.
On a whim, he switched to the hunter-related TV news and heard:
[The organization 'Taehwa River,' based near Ulsan's Taehwa River Station, has initiated a large-scale assault.
Their target is the Red Blood organization, now in disarray due to their leader's grave injury.Taehwa River seems to be rallying all nearby organizations to seize this opportunity to drive them out.]
Its turned into an age of warring states.
Kang-hoo scoffed.
It didnt matter how things unfolded.
Even if Gong Tae-su died, another like him would emerge.
When a bad guy dies, usually an even worse one fills the vacancy.
Driving out villains for a better world, a better era, is something that happens only in novels.
Then, a call came in.
It was obvious who would call him first among those who knew his number.
Yeah, Seo-yeon.
Oppa, are you doing well?
It doesnt sound like you called just to check in. Just tell me what you need.
Cha So-hee went down to Jeonju. Not sure why, but it seems shes gathered some related information.
Did you have someone follow her?
Yeah. I hired someone personally because I was worried about you. There shouldnt be any problems.
Thanks. But you dont need to go to such lengths.
Its not a bother. Im just looking after what I can.
Alright.
Oppa.
Yeah.
If you want, I can open a path for you in Seoul. Its really safe there.
Although she used Seoul as an indirect metaphor, she meant she could establish a connection with the Jeonghwa Guild for him.
For Kang-hoo, the Jeonghwa Guild was a place filled with antipathy, destined to be his greatest enemy in the future.
Of course, he didnt think Han Seo-yeon brought it up with ill intent. It was her way of caring.
Its okay. Thanks for worrying about me.
If you ever need help, please tell me. Understand, oppa? Dont struggle on your own.
Got it. Seo-yeon, you also take care of yourself and be safe, especially when youre going into dungeons.
Yeah, I will!
Im hanging up. Take care.
Kang-hoo ended the call.
In the original story, Han Seo-yeon is someone who only ever had eyes for Shin Kang-hoo.
A symbol of pure love, so to speak.
In the latter part of the story, she even sacrificed her life for Shin Kang-hoo.
Ironically, her sacrifice triggered his rampage, leading to his tragedy.
For the first time, Shin Kang-hoo, who had always maintained his composure against Jang Si-hwan, became emotional.
This became his fatal weakness, leading to his death at the hands of Jang Si-hwan.
It could be considered a splendid end for a villain at the climax of the story.
Han Seo-yeon
During the time they loved each other, Shin Kang-hoo in the original story spared no sacrifices for Han Seo-yeon. He loved her without regret.
With those memories dearly held in her heart, she now repaid a debt of gratitude to him.
With six hours of spare time, he would normally have gone straight to bed to sleep.
But today, with so many things on his mind, sleep eluded him.
So he turned on Huntergram.
It was a social networking service exclusively for hunters, often used for promotion and cover videos.
Since many competent hunters openly displayed their skills, there were plenty of their videos.
Naturally, there were also videos of Jang Si-hwan and Chae Gwanhyeong.
Their unique view count surpassed one million in just one day after upload.
Their popularity was crazy.
Hmm.
Kang-hoos expression hardened as he watched the promotional videos.
Jang Si-hwan and Chae Gwanhyeong were both high-level hunters with many contracted constellations, so their combined abilities were inevitably formidable.
The biggest issue, however, was the overpowered combination of their abilities.
Jang Si-hwan was a magic-space hunter, and Chae Gwanhyeong was a swordsmanship-space hunter.
Meaning they could freely change spaces and attack their opponents.
Instantaneously moving from east to west, a power guaranteed by their ability, it didnt even overload their bodies.
Their hunter nature was specialized in space movement, using short-distance movement skills to their hearts content.
He couldnt really blame anyone since he had crafted them that way in the original work.
Even with the best disguise and hiding every nail and claw, its dangerous within the Jeonghwa Guild.
He had considered joining the Jeonghwa Guild for faster growth, but the more he thought about it, the more the cons seemed to outweigh the pros.
Take An Yeong-ho as a close example; they had used and nearly kidnapped him, hadnt they?
Moreover, Yu Cheonghwa, one of The Thirteen Stars, was already in the Jeonghwa Guild, which was concerning.
If things went wrong, Kang-hoos skills could be copied by her. That was not a good situation.
If I really want to nestle in some faction, the warlords in Gangwon-do arent a bad option.
Kang-hoo wasnt interested only in the capital region.
In Gangwon-do, there were more human-like warlords.
Hunters gathered there under righteous beliefs like maintaining peace or eradicating crime.
He thought that place was worth considering as well.
In the wilderness, survival is tough for many animals from birth due to predators.
And as they grow into adults, becoming attractive prey makes survival even harder.
Kang-hoo felt he was in a similar situation.
He thought he needed to be on alert at least until he reached around level 200.
The risk of death is always present, no matter where one goes. There was not a moments peace.
After the waiting time ended,
Kang-hoo arrived at the Baltman Dungeon, where hunters dispatched by the Onnuri Guild were guarding the entrance.
This kind of service is nice.
Being an officially rented place, they were meticulously attentive to follow-up management.
A few hunters looked at Kang-hoo curiously, and a hunter who seemed to be the team leader spoke to him.
Youre level 33, and youre entering the level 100 Baltman Dungeon? Solo?
Since a level scan was mandatory in the rental process, his level being known wasnt much of a concern.
But,
That damn numbers game is always the issue.
The team leaders words, which reduced his potential to mere numbers, irritated him.
Everyone judged by numbers, shivering in fear, convinced they would die if the gap was too wide. They gave up too soon.
Kang-hoo ignored them and entered the dungeon.
His plan was to avoid engaging in multiple combats simultaneously.
He began his attack on the Baltman Dungeon carefully, slowly, and calmly, making sure not to overexert himself.
There was no race against the clock.
Having paid a steep price for access to the dungeon, he didnt want to miss out on any experience.
As a result, he steadily leveled up.
Thanks to his passive skill Contempt for the Weak, his attacks from behind were effective, smoothing the path of conquest.
Yet, there was one nagging regret that persisted throughout the conquest.
The class really cant overlook the impact of a weapon.
He was reflecting on his primary weapon and dagger, Skys Delight.
Typically, named hunters possess extremely expensive, valuable, and functional primary weapons.
These weapons are usually Grade 3 or higher and come with various utilities.
However, Skys Delight, at Grade 5, offered little beyond non-combat recovery options.
This was a constant source of regret.
Of course, the fact that he had reached his current level of skill without depending on the power of a weapon was remarkable.
But, always striving for excellence, he couldnt shake off a sense of inadequacy and yearning in the present moment.
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