The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

The settlement was over in an instant.

Lee Ye-rin could handle much more money than Kang-hoo had anticipated.

As a result, it took less than five minutes to settle the request fee and the sale price of the items.

Balance: 4.9 billion won.

At first glance, this might seem like a substantial sum, but the reality was different.

Grade 4 items would deplete the funds if she bought four, and Grade 3 items were entirely out of reach.

It was no wonder that the hunters’ world was referred to as ‘their world.’

As one ascended from the middle to upper to top tier, the economic scale that governed it shifted dramatically.

Top-tier hunters like Jang Si-hwan disregarded any items below Grade 4 obtained from dungeons.

“Ha, this is really…”

Although Lee Ye-rin had expressed her astonishment several times before, the fact that she now possessed Gong Tae-su’s left arm was still astounding to her.

She was capable of fighting Gong Tae-su on equal terms, but to maim him unilaterally like this was something else entirely.

It wasn’t just speculation; it was the harsh reality. This was because dealing with a hunter ranked in the 200s was no mean feat.

Lee Ye-rin, who had assessed Kang-hoo’s level at their initial meeting, thought as much.

Thus, even with Kang-hoo’s high level, she had assumed it would be challenging for him to surpass level 70.

A level 70 hunter inflicting such damage on a hunter more than three times their level?

That was inconceivable.

Nonetheless, Kang-hoo’s actions so far had been a series of feats deemed impossible.

‘I feel like the texture of the original work is changing little by little.’

Meanwhile, Kang-hoo was contemplating while observing Lee Ye-rin, who gazed at him with sparkling eyes.

In the original story, the relationship between Lee Ye-rin and Shin Kang-hoo was not as close or personal.

She indeed becomes a powerful adversary to The Thirteen Stars later on.

But she didn’t have much interaction with Shin Kang-hoo. They just recognized each other’s existence and supported each other invisibly.

But now, she is showing enough interest to actively make a recruitment offer.

‘The main storyline of the original is about Jang Si-hwan. It shouldn’t be a problem to touch the side stories lightly.’

Kang-hoo thought so.

The original, written strictly around the protagonist Jang Si-hwan, composed the stories of the surrounding characters plainly.

The story related to Gong Tae-su was also briefly mentioned in the original as passing news.

Jang Si-hwan laughed after watching the news.

"Ulsan has always been like that. Why bother with a crazy guy like Gong Tae-su and make life difficult for yourself?"

Since it wasn't an accident in Seoul, the news article disappeared from his mind like volatile alcohol.

That’s the content.

This time, Jang Si-hwan would have heard about the series of events in Ulsan through the news.

But he would probably be talking about slightly different content.

He didn’t seem to have much interest in it.

‘Just be careful not to touch the mainstream. It’s better to get the attention of the Jeonghwa Guild later.’

That’s what he thought when.

Lee Ye-rin presented a new request proposal.

The gold edging on the border made it feel like the level of the request had changed.

She started the conversation.

“You like to get straight to the point, right?”

“Of course.”

“It’s an assassination request. The target’s name is Jo Gu-bin. He’s a murderer. A child kidnapper and murderer.”

“…”.

Kang-hoo didn’t have a grand belief in justice.

But at least he had thoughts about lines that shouldn’t be crossed as a human. The minimum duty.

But kidnapping children and then murdering them. The combination of words felt horribly dreadful, and his expression turned into a frown.

“The one who requested this is the victim’s father. What he wants is revenge for his daughter and himself. The death of Jo Gu-bin.”

“Have you located him?”

“The last confirmed location was Ground Zero. There have been no records since then.”

“Cowardly bastard.”

Kang-hoo’s expression turned bitter.

In reality, many criminals lived in Ground Zero.

It was such a dangerous place that even the Hunter Public Safety Bureau hesitated to search there. The variables were too many.

“The success fee is 1 billion won. If you can recover the daughter’s belongings or even her body, there will be additional negotiated compensation.”

“How much?”

“At least another billion won. Plus, the father’s desperate desire will be added to it.”

“Any additional details?”

“There’s a condition that must be met before the reward is paid. The client wants to see Jo Gu-bin dying.”

“Like a video call?”

“Exactly. Not a recorded video, but a live stream.”

“I can picture the father gritting his teeth, enduring each day for his daughter’s revenge.”

“How can we even measure that pain? It just hurts the heart.”

Lee Ye-rin’s eyes reddened.

Kang-hoo also became deep in thought.

It felt not merely like punishing a villain, but a righteous journey to slay a demon.

‘Chasing Jo Gu-bin, it seems likely that I’ll naturally come across the Mad Solarkium.’

He needed the Mad Solarkium anyway.

Since he had planned to visit Ground Zero at least once, it seemed like a good time to take care of everything there.

Besides, he had a rough idea of where Jo Gu-bin might be hiding.

After all, he, the original author, had designed the space of Ground Zero. Backtracking wouldn’t be difficult.

Meanwhile.

“What a disturbing dream.”

Jang Si-hwan, who had woken up from a nightmare, gulped down red wine poured into a large cup.

The wine he roughly gulped spilled over his lips like blood, but he didn’t seem to care.

Lately, Jang Si-hwan had been having frequent nightmares.

Someone kept coming to him in his dreams, attacking him without warning.

What was scary was that the guy was so elusive, making his movements completely unpredictable.

If you thought he was in front, he was behind; if he seemed below, he was above. It was like dealing with a ghost.

He turned on the TV.

Deleting all general channels and keeping only those related to hunters was Jang Si-hwan’s long-standing habit.

Today, as always, he skimmed through domestic and international hunter news. Updating information was essential.

Then, a piece of domestic news caught his attention.

It was about a recent clash in Ulsan targeting Gong Tae-su, the leader of the Red Blood organization.

“I had a feeling there would be a hunt for me someday. Did Gong Tae-su really plan it?”

The flow was as expected.

It detailed how mercenaries entangled in a large scheme by Gong Tae-su were either annihilated or captured.

But what was noteworthy was this:

“Gong Tae-su lost his left arm?”

The news reported that Gong Tae-su, the very mastermind of the scheme, had sustained significant damage.

For a mage, having both arms, capable of precise control, is crucial.

But Gong Tae-su had lost his commonly used left arm—a major accident.

Moreover, the identity of the hunter who had cut off Gong Tae-su’s left arm was completely unexpected.

They had only a glimpse of his back, and that too from old, low-frame CCTV footage.

Without a clear view of his face, identifying him was impossible.

“There’s always someone above those who run, and those who fly; someone who watches over everything.”

Jang Si-hwan chuckled.

He didn’t know who it was, but someone had accomplished something remarkable.

Who could be the hunter who, in just two seconds, severed Gong Tae-su’s left arm and casually took it as a trophy?

In a world full of issues, ordinary news is quickly forgotten.

But this news, he wanted to follow up on carefully. It seemed the person involved was extraordinary.

Jang Si-hwan immediately made a phone call.

To the Jeonghwa Guild’s intelligence strategy team.

A team with exceptional gathering skills utilized the internal database of the Hunter Public Safety Bureau.

They meticulously searched for even the smallest piece of gossip and reported it.

“Yes, go ahead.”

“The Gong Tae-su incident in Ulsan. Gather all the information about the hunter who severed his left arm and report it to me.”

“Understood.”

The order was given promptly.

Documents related to this hunter would soon pile up on Jang Si-hwan’s desk until his identity was revealed.

Before searching for Jo Gu-bin, Kang-hoo first stopped at Suwon Station.

He did so because the dungeon where he could learn the Great Decapitation skill was owned by the Onnuri Guild.

Their base was right at Suwon Station. Therefore, after meeting Lee Ye-rin at Pyeongtaek Station and heading north, he stopped at Suwon Station.

‘The atmosphere is different.’

Although not as much as in Seoul, the area around Suwon Station was quite stable in terms of public safety.

There was even a festival-like event in front of the station, with hunters from the Onnuri Guild conducting a campaign.

The Suwon - Clean Hunter Campaign.

The name was a bit grand, but it simply meant that hunters would not commit crimes at Suwon Station.

Thanks to the influence of the Onnuri Guild, which tightly controlled the area around Suwon Station, the station’s atmosphere was indeed pleasant.

Furthermore, numerous small and medium-sized guilds were openly recruiting members, which was quite a sight.

In other areas, there would have been fights long ago. Peaceful competition was not usually tolerated.

Kang-hoo immediately looked for the Onnuri Guild’s dedicated building.

The 15-story Onnuri Building stood prominently in front of the station.

Once inside the building,

“I’d like to speak with the person in charge of renting a dungeon license.”

He found the responsible person in the lobby.

He added a bit more to the conversation.

“I have this much money, so there’s no need for sizing up.”

He made sure to verify the money he had to prevent a wasteful conversation.

Kang-hoo had come prepared to spend about 1 billion won if necessary.

Given the opportunity to learn the Great Decapitation without any penalties…

It was certainly not a waste.

The penalty-free Great Decapitation was a perfect ‘one-hit’ skill.

It could serve as a sort of ultimate move.

“I’ll guide you. Please come this way.”

A polite female guide started to lead Kang-hoo, clearly following instructions from her superior.

‘As expected.’

By confirming his funds upfront, he avoided any remarks like ‘who are you to rent it.’

Such is the power of money.

It sidesteps judgments based on appearance and awkward refusals at the door.

When they reached the 13th floor in the elevator,

two floors below the top floor, he encountered the person in charge.

The man, with his strikingly dyed sports hair,

casually greeted Kang-hoo, his left hand shoved into his trouser pocket.

“I’m Han Seung-hyeok, the head of the Onnuri Guild’s Dungeon Management Team.”

As soon as Han Seung-hyeok finished his formal greeting,

“I want to rent a single raid license for the Baltman Dungeon owned by the Onnuri Guild. My offer is 1 billion. I won’t negotiate twice.”

Kang-hoo immediately stated the terms he had in mind, making a unilateral offer that left no room for negotiation.