Chapter 48: Growth, Again Growth (1)
Kang-hoo trusted his defensive abilities.
Such rechargeable passives proved handy when needed.
Moreover, his judgment was top-notch.
He could block any skill or attack at least once.
To put it extremely, he could even withstand a rock falling from the sky.
That was why he ignored the others and charged solely at the leader.
After Kang-hoo had struck him once earlier, the dagger-wielding leaders expression was far from bright.
But with onlookers present and his pride wounded, his aggression only seemed to increase.
Youre dead, punk!
As expected, the leader didnt back down.
The purple aura rising from his dagger appeared as a deadly strike brimming with murderous intent.
However, Kang-hoo still had an unused first-level defensive mechanism of Hoshin.
He was ensured invincibility.
Casting aside any thoughts of defense, Kang-hoo boldly charged at the leader.
And then
Whoosh! Clang!
Their daggers crossed.
Somewhere, there was a sound of flesh being pierced, and elsewhere, a sound of deflection.
The outcomes were different.
Cough!
I told you to go your way.
The leader was dead.
The strike had been aimed precisely at the heart, supposedly nestled in the left chest.
Considering a beheading was included as a precaution, there was no chance for armor or anything else to provide protection.
[You have killed the target and plundered the contract with the 'Corrupt Agitator.']
[Corrupt Agitator]
[Inflicts a painful wound effect, reducing the healing efficiency of the affected area by 25%.]
Not bad. Why was such a constellation with such a bad guy Well, its not my concern anymore. Now its my constellation.
Kang-hoo tilted his head as he reviewed the information of the constellation he had plundered from the leader.
It was quite a decent constellation.
Reducing healing efficiency meant not just hindering regeneration but also making any healing less effective.
For an assassin engaged in close combat and likely to inflict critical wounds, it was like scratching an itch.
How did he dodge that?
F, were screwed.
Hey, just run! The leaders dead!
Seeing their leader dead, the other hunters didnt look back as they started to flee.
A wise decision.
With their leader gone, any resistance from the subordinates would lead only to an obvious outcome.
They were terrified by the invincibility displayed by Kang-hoos Hoshin.
They had seen it with their own eyes.
The leaders dagger strike was powerful enough to kill an ordinary monster in one blow.
But for Kang-hoo, it became a foolish attack that entirely missed, not even grazing him.
It was clear to all that this was due to Kang-hoos skill or some other effect.
[Quite a satisfying turn of events. My contractor is untouchable by such insignificant beings.]
The Dimension Plunderer expressed satisfaction.
All plundered constellations became subordinate to the Dimension Plunderer.
So its pleased reaction was no surprise.
[The more you please me, a noble constellation and a goddess, the greater the status that will be granted to you, my contractor.]
?
He doubted his ears.
He understood that the Dimension Plunderers pride in being a noble saint was one thing, but a goddess?
Due to the androgynous voice, he hadnt specified a gender, but the name implied something, didnt it?
Perhaps it was a preconception, but he had inwardly assumed it was male. It turned out to be the female form of a deity.
Of course, the gender wasnt important.
Tch!
Whoosh!
Cough.
In the meantime, a hunter trying to flee or counterattack Kang-hoo met with an anticlimactic end.
Had he continued on his way, he might have saved his life, but now, due to unnecessary bravado, another constellation changed ownership.
[You have killed the target and plundered the contract with the 'Cunning Flatterer.']
[Cunning Flatterer]
[Increases the holy power of all contracted constellations by 15%. It continuously encourages them.]
The gourd came along with the vine.
Increasing the holy power of constellations was significant.
It raised their prestige and honor among the constellations.
This enhancement meant they could usually utilize more depth and intensity in their power.
For example, Kang-hoo, who could only perform a constellation scan, might gain the ability to do a stat scan.
It was just a hypothetical, but it could become a reality at any moment.
Thus, the matter was resolved.
Since he still couldnt enter the dungeon, Kang-hoo departed from the scene.
It didnt seem like anything extraordinary, as he encountered many dead bodies on his way out.
Not two, but four forces were contesting for dominance here.
With no alliances, everyone was a potential enemy.
If someone was not a friend, suspicion was the default response.
Kang-hoo, seated on the rooftop of a building with a view of the city, paused for a break with a can of coffee.
He had considered resting in a hotel, but it had temporarily shut down due to a recent clash.
So he found himself on the unsightly rooftop of an unfinished building, scanning the area.
Suddenly, he noticed the four factions entangled in a confrontation in front of the dungeon housing a magic stone mine.
Seemingly to avoid a drawn-out war of attrition, they had erected numerous barricades and were deeply engaged in long-range skirmishes, reminiscent of trench warfare.
Occasionally, when a hunter or two ventured out from cover and were killed, the remaining fighters grew more cautious.
Some attempted to dash into the dungeon without glancing back.
Once inside, their goal was to mine magic stonesact first, think later was the mindset.
But they inevitably became victims of the traps set up around the entrance.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A tremendous explosion claimed dozens of lives in an instant; it was a veritable hell.
This is just pathetic, really.
He had secretly longed for a fierce battle full of strategy and tactics, or at least proactive combat.
But the reality resembled a petty neighborhood skirmish more than anything else.
Instead of strategic thinking or careful deliberation, there was only blind charging or aimless waiting.
So, he diverted his attention from the battlefield.
Continuing to watch didnt seem likely to yield any inspirational situations; it was merely a waste of eyesight.
Kang-hoo took out his smartphone and browsed Huntergram for videos and materials about the warlord group The Abyss.
After all, The Abyss was the group most openly confronting the Jeonghwa Guild in Korea.
The person speaking in the video was Lee Hyun-seok.
He always participated in and recorded every interview or video personally.
He doubted him as a reliable source.
It was probably because he believed no spokesperson could represent him better than he could himself.
Contrary to what you might think, the Jeonghwa Guild isnt a guardian of justice and goodwill. They are evil incarnate, disgustingly masquerading as such.
He couldnt help but nod in agreement.
But for Kang-hoo, who knew the original story, it was a different case.
How had Lee Hyun-seok discerned the Jeonghwa Guilds true nature?
This detail wasnt included in the original story.
The explanation is straightforward: in the original, Lee Hyun-seok was depicted as a lunatic spouting nonsense.
Since the novel was written from Jang Si-hwans point of view, Lee Hyun-seok was inevitably cast as a mad villain.
Satellite guilds, operating under the pretense of the Jeonghwa Guild, are sprouting up everywhere.
These satellite guilds monitor and eliminate any guilds that arent friendly or cooperative with the Jeonghwa Guild.
If you click the link below, you can witness the heinous acts committed by these satellite guilds.
Upon clicking, Kang-hoo realized that Lee Hyun-seok had uncovered the existence of the satellite guilds more meticulously than he had assumed.
The Haeohwa Guild, where Han Seo-yeon was a member, also appeared on the list - it was internal information not easily accessible.
At that point, it seemed there had to be an insider in the Jeonghwa Guild.
Moreover, promising hunters who stand out often disappear under mysterious circumstances within the Jeonghwa Guild.
They claim these are disappearances due to dungeon accidents, but isnt that too strange?
If it wasnt a major accident, retrieving the bodies should not have been too difficult.
In the next link, you can find a list of promising hunters who joined the Jeonghwa Guild and then vanished.
The subsequent content was also filled with high-credibility information that appeared to come from an inside source.
It was hard not to believe unless you were someone who blindly supported the Jeonghwa Guild.
The problem is that Lee Hyun-seok is soon going to be assassinated by his right-hand man, Mun Yu-seok.
Kang-hoo recalled this from memory.
Less than a month after this video was released, Lee Hyun-seok was assassinated by Mun Yu-seok.
In the original story, Mun Yu-seok was treated as a hero who killed a mad villain.
Even the readers gave Mun Yu-seok nicknames like Doctor and Martyr, seeing him as a satisfying character.
But from a changed perspective, its a dark future for a necessary ally.
Whether as a scapegoat or a distraction, Lee Hyun-seok needed to be kept alive for some reason.
After finishing up in Gwangju, I should send an email to Lee Hyun-seok or find another way.
It wasnt an urgent issue, but not something he could be lax about either.
Lee Hyun-seok was a valuable pawn and had to be preserved.
Five hours later.
As soon as the one-month dungeon lease license period began, Kang-hoo immediately entered.
Since it was a temporary license, it was best to explore as much as possible while he could.
Moreover, because of the characteristic changes, he needed to explore the dungeon twice, quickening his pace.
Characteristic change.
A complete transformation of the dungeons ecosystem and composition for unknown reasons.
In such cases, the entire setup changed, including the middle and main bosses previously explored.
For Kang-hoo, this meant he had four skill plunders scheduled.
The dungeon level was around 110.
Ordinary monsters no longer posed a threat to him.
Instead, fighting monsters served more as a warm-up exercise.
Swiftly progressing through solo play, Kang-hoo soon encountered the middle boss.
Its name was Greyper.
Known for shooting magic bullets, Greypers characteristic was its heavy magical gun.
Regrettably, the gun vanished upon Greypers death, making it unobtainable as loot.
The closer I get, the more advantageous for me, but the farther away I am, the more disadvantageous.
Despite the distance, Greyper was staring intently at him.
Since he hadnt yet entered its range, it didnt aim precisely.
What kind of skill will this guy give me?
Kang-hoo wondered, knowing only the name and characteristics but not the skills.
Considering gunner-type hunters typically had aiming skills, this one might possess something similar.
Perhaps an ability to expand and enhance vision, effectively narrowing the physical distance!
This was an essential skill element for Kang-hoo, who needed to target and hit his marks precisely.
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