The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

Later, it became a struggle for Kang-hoo just to kill the berserkers he had kept under the bleeding status.

Eto, Miyuki, and An Yeong-ho continued to eliminate the berserkers affected by the bleeding.

However, there were more that Kang-hoo had caused to bleed, maintaining the status while stripping away their resistance.

At some point, Kang-hoo changed his approach to handle and kill about half of them himself.

Miyuki was aware of how exceptional Kang-hoo’s ability to maintain bleeding was, having heard about it.

The news she received from the Groo Guild and An Yeong-ho’s firsthand experiences confirmed it.

But until one sees it with their own eyes, doubts naturally linger.

Miyuki’s honest thought was, “How impressive could it really be?”

Kang-hoo’s skill far surpassed what could be described as “impressive.”

Now, she understood why An Yeong-ho constantly said he didn’t want to lose Kang-hoo.

His skill was top-tier.

It wasn’t just because he had skills that were favorable for maintaining bleeding.

Kang-hoo used every second to its extreme. In the shortest possible time, he applied bleeding to as many berserkers as possible.

Moreover, none of the berserkers with bleeding recovered or regained resistance.

He meticulously renewed the status.

Since Kang-hoo began wreaking havoc on the front lines, Miyuki hadn’t seen a single berserker without bleeding.

Every berserker within range had their resistance stripped and was reduced to soft, tender meat.

“Captain, this area has become so easy. The last time I was here, it was hell…”

“Right? I feel like I’ve barely done anything.”

Unlike Kang-hoo, who was here for the first time, Miyuki had been assigned to this dungeon before and had plenty to compare it with.

They had previously come with assassins, berserkers, or classes that had bleeding skills.

But maintaining the bleeding didn’t last long, and they couldn’t hit multiple monsters at once, so the pace was slow.

Ultimately, it was a one-at-a-time battle. Even with four people, they could only take down one at a time.

But now, each person was handling one, and in an instant, they dealt with four berserkers.

Not only that, but Kang-hoo occasionally detonated the lightly stabbed berserkers with his Blood Flower skill, killing them.

The mere snap of his fingers delivered a deadly judgment, and the more Miyuki watched this skill, the stranger it seemed.

In Kang-hoo’s assassin form, Miyuki saw the traits of a black mage, a berserker, and a sorcerer all at once.

It was no wonder why Cha So-hyuk and the three hunters from the Toushi Guild were annihilated.

All of their expectations had been shattered.

There’s no way they could have imagined Kang-hoo would possess this level of ability. It must have been beyond their wildest dreams.

---

As they easily passed through the berserker section, the pace of the strategy significantly accelerated.

Each crucial section featured a variation or superior version of the berserkers.

But with Kang-hoo’s bleeding induction and maintenance, they easily broke through.

As a result, Kang-hoo’s level shot up to 229. Every monster they encountered was a bounty of experience.

As the three companions constantly praised him, Kang-hoo became more aware of his value.

His abilities as an assassin, which seemed so natural to him, were incredibly valuable and rare to others.

Moreover, the current hunter world was globally suffering from a shortage of skilled assassins.

This phenomenon was a great boon for Kang-hoo, given the lack of competent assassins.

Even in international mercenary work, there would likely be many seeking his skills.

Perhaps he could even choose his assignments to suit his taste or demand a higher pay than usual.

“I’ve grown a lot since coming to Japan. It feels like a refreshing turning point.”

This was Kang-hoo’s overall evaluation of his hectic schedule in Japan.

Meanwhile, the tasks waiting for him back home had piled up.

He had to visit The Abyss dungeon he had discussed with Lee Hyun-seok and further strengthen his bond with him.

Additionally, he needed to visit North Korea regarding the Mad Solarkium and the random skill book.

It was also time to check in on Lee Ye-rin regarding some overseas commissions.

Moreover, he needed to establish connections with Master K and Kang Bok-hwa through Jung Yuri, not to mention Kim Shin-ryeong.

These were all powerful and valuable connections, and none could be overlooked.

Especially Lee Hyun-seok, who was a key figure for Kang-hoo, considering his stance against the Jeonghwa Guild.

---

Some time later.

“Finally…”

“We’ve made it here. The boss monster we had only researched for its real vs. fake detection method before running away.”

The group was preparing for the final boss of this dungeon, Rüge.

They were already aware of its traits.

It would frequently split into two, with the real and fake bodies separated, as is typical of such monsters.

The problem was that hitting the real Rüge would drain its health twice as fast.

But hitting the fake one would restore five times the damage as health.

A mistake would be fatal.

Takashi would have drooled at just hearing about its pattern, a boss monster like this.

The detection method was simple.

You just had to maintain Rüge’s bleeding status at the maximum. If you maintained 50 stacks of bleeding, it was very easy.

At that point, even if it split, the real Rüge’s body would shine differently from the fake.

Otherwise, the clones and the real one were indistinguishable.

Randomly attacking them was also impossible, as hitting the wrong one would restore its health and undo all their efforts.

Even if they correctly identified the fake, Rüge would stop splitting and revert to its original form, making it futile.

If it split again, they’d be forced into another guessing game, like flipping a coin.

In the end, maintaining 50 stacks of bleeding was essential to judge the real Rüge.

Given that previous teams had struggled with the fallen berserker section, there was no way they could have handled Rüge properly.

With heavier responsibility weighing on Kang-hoo’s shoulders, he took a deep breath and pulled out the Mad Solarkium.

‘If I take this, only two will be left. Once it’s over, I must return home. I can’t go without Solarkium.’

Kang-hoo nodded as he looked at the two remaining Mad Solarkium in his pocket.

It felt like looking at the last few cigarettes in a pack.

An odd sense of anxiety crept in. He felt he needed to replenish it quickly to ease his mind.

Rüge. Humanoid. Muscular.

It had both close-range and long-range attack patterns.

At close range, it used grappling attacks, and at long range, it fired energy blasts. A troublesome hybrid, through and through.

Recognizing the monster’s core aspects, Kang-hoo took out one Gaksin Pill just in case.

“Could you draw out the long-range patterns for me? Don’t worry about me, just focus on Rüge.”

“Don’t worry about this side.”

Eto, with confidence, began advancing while creating a massive barrier.

As a tank specialist, he was clearly well-suited to absorbing attacks.

He even had a skill that reinforced his entire body like steel, making Kang-hoo think he wouldn’t be able to penetrate it.

Boom! Boom!

Rüge clasped its right wrist tightly with its left hand, and with a recoil from the right wrist, it fired an energy blast.

The blast was concentrated into Rüge’s right fist, and each time it fired, Rüge’s shoulder recoiled from the force.

Meanwhile.

Kang-hoo, moving swiftly while hidden, made a wide arc around the battlefield, just like when he faced Duke Blut.

Occasionally, he glanced at Eto. He saw Eto firmly taking the energy blasts head-on.

Though Eto was pushed back with each blast, that was all there was to it.

Miyuki and An Yeong-ho, standing behind him, were neither caught in the shock nor affected by it.

‘I don’t need to worry about them. Eto is stable. I can focus on my task.’

The key to teamwork is not to have someone carry the others.

It’s important to work seamlessly together so that even when apart, no one has to worry.

In that sense, the combination of Eto, Miyuki, and An Yeong-ho seemed well-coordinated.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

‘But I’ll need to be careful not to get grabbed.’

Rüge’s body was thicker than Jeon Jong-du’s, whom he faced when confronting the Osho Mercenary Corps.

Back then, getting caught felt like certain death, and Rüge didn’t seem any different.

Swish. Swish.

Maintaining his stealth while using Shadowless, Kang-hoo continued his approach towards Rüge.

Perhaps annoyed by how well Eto blocked its energy blasts, Rüge glared in his direction, focusing intensely.

Quietly.

Kang-hoo laid down the Line of Distortion.

Rüge wasn’t looking in Kang-hoo’s direction yet and didn’t seem to realize an invisible line had been placed.

Kang-hoo visualized several movements in his mind. He was calculating how to move based on Rüge’s reactions.

He could see several useful futures.

Whether Rüge would play along would only become clear in the fight, but drawing the picture was enough.

【Summon Fallen Fiend】

The first move was this.

It had no attack power, but it was perfect for distracting and drawing attention with strange noises.

Screeeeeech!

The fallen fiend soared high into the sky and flew towards Rüge like a wild horse freed from its reins.

Then, Kang-hoo used his Clone Technique to send a doppelganger towards Rüge.

“……”

As the fallen fiend darted about wildly in front of Rüge, the muscles around Rüge’s eyes twitched.

However, Rüge showed no reaction. It casually punched the approaching doppelganger away.

As the doppelganger crumbled pathetically, Rüge snorted, as if expecting it, and glared at Kang-hoo.

Rüge’s main focus remained straight ahead. There were many enemies, and Eto’s provocations were relentless.

So even when another of Kang-hoo’s clones approached, Rüge didn’t pay it any mind.

After all, the doppelganger’s killing power was far less than the real body, and its movements were sluggish in comparison.

Rüge instead concentrated on channeling even more energy into an even stronger blast aimed at Eto.

At that moment.

Flash!

Kang-hoo’s clone closed the distance between them in a burst of speed and stabbed Rüge in the back with a dagger.

But.

“……?”

It wasn’t a clone; it was the real Kang-hoo.

The dagger that pierced through Rüge’s back was infused with the energy of Grand Decapitation.

Crunch!

At the same time, Kang-hoo cast the Ice Affinity on his dagger, instantly freezing the wound deep inside.

This paralyzed Rüge’s senses in the surrounding area, including its back.

The muscles and cells froze solid.

“Kaaaargh!”

Boom!

With a scream, Rüge’s fist veered off course, and it fired its energy blast into an empty space.

In the process, the recoil impacted its shoulder, causing another wave of pain to surge through its back.

Realizing it had been toyed with by Kang-hoo, Rüge’s insides boiled with rage.

It was so ashamed of its earlier indifference, thinking it had only been a clone, that its face burned with embarrassment.

The price of arrogance and hubris was immense pain, and it was no wonder Rüge was seething with fury.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Kang-hoo steadily began stacking bleeding stats.

The groundwork had only just begun.

Rüge had always relied on easy recovery through splitting and camouflaging, fighting with a “just slice me open” attitude.

But now, Kang-hoo was about to show it just how exhausting and extreme an assassin’s persistent mind games could be.

As Rüge turned its body to prepare an energy blast aimed at Kang-hoo.

【Master of Manipulation】

Kang-hoo copied the energy blast skill using the Master of Manipulation. With that, he had one more hidden card up his sleeve.