Chapter 50: The Hunting Dog (1)
A single yellow magic stone.
It was a magic stone with an average trading price of around 1 billion won.
Although the price fluctuated greatly due to the low trading volume, it usually netted about 1 billion won.
At that time, Kang-hoo had a balance of 6.4 billion won in his bank account.
By selling the four green magic stones he had diligently collected, he could add another 400 million won.
Selling the item obtained from the guy who picked a fight before entering Ground Zero would yield another 100 million won.
Disposing of the mana-related items acquired from completing Jo Gu-bins request would add another 1 billion won.
By disposing of the yellow magic stone as well, he could amass a total of 8.9 billion won.
Ten billion won was just within reach.
Just a bit more effort in selling, and I could buy a third-grade dagger in a few days?
His goal was now within sight.
If necessary, he could even sell the Boundary of Massacre.
Since it was a fourth-grade dagger, it was worth 1 billion won.
That would scrape together a total of 10 billion won.
The purchase of a third-grade dagger seemed certain.
Feeling good, he pocketed the yellow magic stone and reviewed the list of activated Plunder Skills from Sami.
[The following skills can be plundered from the activated target:]
[Hallucination]
[Annihilation Grand Rotation]
So the skill that threw that acid ball was named Annihilation Grand Rotation. Sounds like something I would think of.
Surely, names and configurations he once thought of popped up in dungeons.
He had always felt it, but the realm of the subconscious seemed to be well implemented all over the world.
He remembered dreaming of dungeons that gave absurd rewards, and such places must exist somewhere in the world.
Hallucination.
He decided to exclude Annihilation Grand Rotation from the plunder options.
It was flashy and attractive, but it exposed a fatal weakness to long-range attacks while spinning.
Like a stationary target, it was a risky choice.
[Hallucination]
[Skill Proficiency: Lv. Max]
[Induces hallucination in a single designated target. The target may experience abnormal sensations, pain, or phenomena.]
[Depending on proficiency, an 'Absolute Induction' judgment is applied. A minimum of 0.2 seconds of guaranteed hallucination.]
[Instantly depletes 50% of the mana reserves.]
Oh-ho.
With maximum proficiency achieved, an attractive option was added to the hallucination skill.
Absolute Induction.
Even those completely immune to mental attacks would still experience hallucinations for a brief moment.
This difference was significant.
In that brief period, ones judgment could be impaired, facing a reality different from what one thought.
The skill required a lot of mana, so it couldnt be used recklessly.
However, as a strategic option, its potential utility seemed very high.
Hallucination, combined with assassination
A foolish target might lose their life without even realizing they were dying.
Hallucination with precise targeting. Ive obtained a skill option I would never have gotten by walking the path of an assassin honestly.
Kang-hoo left the dungeon with a proud expression.
Soon, a Trait Change would occur in this dungeon.
He planned to re-challenge it then to acquire new skills. Everything was proceeding exactly as planned.
Two days later.
Today, as well, Cha So-hee, who had been disguised all day at Seoul Station, wore a gloomy expression.
In Seoul, known for its good public safety, she endured, but her expression was such that she might have lashed out at someone if not careful.
Though she had spent two fruitless days, her persistence with the informants finally bore fruit.
There was contact from Gwangju.
Someone with a similar appearance to Kang-hoo had been reported.
It was information received from an informant who occasionally gathered intelligence from within the Haeohwa Guild.
The source was one of the subordinates of the captain of the group of hunters who had lost their lives to Kang-hoo.
Though slightly blurry, a photo captured Kang-hoos face.
When did he leave Seoul Station for Gwangju? Did he slip away via the terminal?
Knowing she was at Seoul Station, it was unlikely hed forsake a comfortable train for a bus.
There could only be one reason Kang-hoo managed to detour.
He was either receiving some kind of help from someone, or he had his eyes directly on her.
.
Only then did Cha So-hee begin to perceive the surroundings differently.
Among the multitude of people, she noticed two individuals whose gaze was particularly fixated on her.
The timing of their glances was irregular, but more frequent than one would expect from casual observers.
Damn it.
Anger surged to the top of her head.
No wonder Kang-hoo had slipped away like an eel; there were eyes watching.
Now she knew of their existence.
She knew where Kang-hoo was and had already arranged manpower in advance.
Before heading down to Gwangju-Songjeong Station, Cha So-hee tried to shake off the tails following her.
She had been too careless.
Being in the position of chasing Kang-hoo, she hadnt considered that someone might be watching her in return.
Blaming her own carelessness, Cha So-hee began to tail one of the eyes that was closer.
Whether to kill or chase away.
It was time to tidy things up.
And then head straight to Gwangju.
Finally, she had Shin Kang-hoos trail in sight.
At that moment, Kang-hoo was in the market.
He had just finished another round of conquering the dungeon that had undergone a reset and trait change.
His level had reached 51.
Thanks to this, the basic skill of a level 50 assassin was added, and he had plundered skills from both the middle and main bosses.
Three new skills were now at his disposal.
[Shadowless]
[Skill Proficiency: Lv. Max]
[Uses 1 mana per second to eliminate 99% of footstep and mana traces.]
[However, one's unique killing intent cannot be eliminated. Separate evasion or concealment mechanisms are required.]
A skill called Shadowless, akin to a first job change for assassins, had emerged.
Of course, given the classs inherent mana shortage, maintaining it for extended periods was challenging, but the skill was fitting nonetheless.
When footsteps and mana traces were eliminated, an individual became nearly undetectable by the enemy while in stealth mode.
Of course, the remaining one percent trace could still be picked up by hunters who were either highly sensitive or perceptive.
Nevertheless, it was a skill that rendered an assassin truly assassin-like, making it exceedingly valuable.
[Wind Thunder Formation]
[Blitz Blade]
These two skills were acquired from a dungeon that had undergone a trait change.
As the names suggested, the dungeon was entirely martial arts-styled, lending a distinct feel to the skills names.
Wind Thunder Formation was an area-of-effect type skill that did not affect the user, creating a domain for wide-range attacks, while Blitz Blade was a dagger-throwing skill.
Particularly for Blitz Blade, it was a throwing-type lethal skill exclusive to daggers and packed considerable power.
It was better to think of it as a long-range version of the Great Decapitation. That analogy fit perfectly.
Anyway, my balance is now 10.1 billion won. Even after purchasing the third-grade dagger, Ill have 100 million won to spare.
Thanks to the plentiful green magic stones from the second dungeon conquest, he had managed to reach his target balance.
Contrary to initial expectations, there was no need to sell either Skys Joy or Boundary of Massacre.
Once he bought a new third-grade dagger, he could use the remaining one as a throwing sub-weapon.
It was indeed a bustling area teeming with hunters and heavy foot traffic, offering a diverse array of items for sale.
In fact, he felt the market in Gwangju seemed to offer more variety than even Seouls.
He was reminded that the quality of items was not determined by the region, but rather by blood.
It meant that the area was likely a hotspot for frequent battles.
Use it well.
Of course.
After completing the transaction and account transfer meticulously, Kang-hoo received the third-grade dagger item.
At last, he possessed a distinctive weapon that could be considered his signature.
[Blood Tear - Weapon]
[Grade: Third-grade]
[Strength +200]
[Anti-Magic +50]
[Durability +50]
It starts with stat boosts.
Kang-hoos usually impassive eyes widened.
A boost of 50 in both anti-magic and durability was significant, not just any ordinary stat increase.
Considering that a fourth-grade item typically offered a total stat increase of 100, and a third-grade averaged 200.
The additional increase in these two stats represented a kind of bonus.
Furthermore, since anti-magic and durability were generally challenging to improve, a single point in these stats was often valued as equivalent to two points in other stats.
The presence of such an item on the market suggested a deficit of skilled assassins.
Regardless of the backstory, it was irrelevant.
He was its owner now. That was all that mattered.
Kang-hoo scrolled down further in the item window.
Starting with third-grade items, a special effect was included. This feature defined the items identity.
[Taste of Blood - When attacking the same wound inflicted by Blood Tear, an additional 25% damage is applied.]
[Devouring - If Blood Tear's blade doesn't taste blood within 24 hours, it will be extinguished forever. However, if it survives, Blood Tear grants its wielder an additional 2.5% in experience.]
The devouring effect wasnt challenging to sustain. After all, the blade could be sated with animal blood as well.
In a bind, if there was no other blood available, a small self-inflicted wound would suffice to feed the blade.
Just upgrading the item grade had brought about a remarkable transformation in his physique.
His strength had soared by an impressive 100 points.
A strength now exceeding 200.
For the assassin class, which typically prioritized agility, this was an extraordinarily generous stat.
Considering his level was merely 51, most assassins at this stage only had the base strength stat.
Typically, they were busy investing in agility early on, or splitting some into mana.
Kang-hoo now possessed much higher strength than regular swordsmen of the same level, while also maintaining maximized assassin traits.
It was as if two job classes had been mixed into one body. He could wield a greatsword without any issues.
That was when texts came from Han Seo-yeon and Lee Ye-rin.
Since he had eyes on both, the timing of the texts was always the same.
The content was almost identical, so he read Han Seo-yeons text with more care.
[Brother. Cha So-hee noticed she was being watched and killed it. The other eye seems to have barely escaped.]
[The last confirmed location was heading to catch the KTX to Gwangju-Songjeong Station. Thats the last information.]
Finally, what was to come is coming,
Kang-hoo murmured as he rotated his slightly clenched wrists, causing them to crack.
He felt confident enough to take her on now.
He had built the necessary foundation.
Avoiding confrontation wasnt always wise, especially now that the net was closing in.
With swarm tactics and lavish spending on tracking, there was no hiding within the country.
On one hand, he considered facing off with Cha So-hee and having a direct conversation with Kang Dong-hyun.
A mutual non-aggression pact, suggesting they both stop interfering with each other, seemed entirely feasible.
Kang Dong-hyun was a highly pragmatic person. Of course, he wouldnt dismiss anything unjust.
With Eclipses Investigator involved, some form of conclusion had to be reached. Only then would the chase end.
The timing is just right, he thought. He had surpassed the desired level 50 and purchased a dagger that was useful in combat.
With Solarkium and Mad Solarkium in ample supply, ten and five respectively, it seemed like the time to hunt the hunting dog.
The significant level difference with her was now irrelevant.
Is an assassin not a profession that thrives on exploiting opportunities?
He turned common sense into nonsense.
He possessed the ability to twist precise predictions into unexpected variables.
Kang-hoo trusted himself.
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