The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

The most effective trigger for fear is silence.

The absence of sound feels like standing on thin ice that could break at any moment.

Ahn Yeong-ho and Park Dong-jae often tense up when they meet Kang-hoo because he rarely speaks.

Since they can’t tell what he’s thinking or feeling, it’s only natural for them to feel uneasy while watching him.

The current “Hatred” was the same.

It was constantly moving, aiming for Kang-hoo’s life, but it didn’t even let out a single groan.

As if it deemed making any sound beneath its dignity, a scornful gaze could also be felt.

Though Kang-hoo wasn’t bothered by it, Ahn Yeong-ho found that look of Hatred quite unsettling.

The tricky part about Hatred wasn’t just that it was an assassin-type monster that moved swiftly, but also that it used a skill called “Line of Distortion.”

It couldn’t be seen with the naked eye, only sensed through mana flow.

When someone passed through it, the line wrapped around their body like crossing a marathon finish line.

Then, if distortion was triggered, much like activating Blood Flower, space twisted at the point of contact.

From that moment, flesh would begin to be dug out, and if left unattended, the line would burrow deeper, eventually cutting the body in half, leading to death.

To remove the line, one had to pull it with their hands, causing additional damage in the process.

In terms of raw destructive power, the skill wasn’t as instantly lethal as spatial distortion.

However, as a tool for effectively restricting an opponent’s movements or luring them in, it was an optimized “obstacle.”

From the opponent’s perspective, it was extremely troublesome.

If one couldn’t detect its position through mana flow, it would evoke a fear of the unseen.

【Self-Indulgent Consumption – Natural Healing】

Meanwhile, at the start of the battle, Kang-hoo was amplifying the mana buff Ahn Yeong-ho had cast on him.

Thanks to that, combined with his innate mana hypersensitivity, his mana recovery speed was extraordinary.

Considering that Ahn Yeong-ho hadn’t used this skill in previous battles, it was evident that the skill had a very long cooldown.

With Natural Healing’s 2.5x mana recovery rate combined with Self-Indulgent Consumption’s 300%, the synergy became 7.5 times more effective—an absurdly high figure.

Against Hatred, Kang-hoo was following a pattern of solid defense followed by swift counterattacks.

The opponent was highly aggressive, and each attack carried significant destructive power.

A typical characteristic of assassin-type monsters.

Hatred aimed for one big strike.

In a brawl, if Kang-hoo got caught by one of those major hits, it could be fatal, making recovery nearly impossible.

Ssshhh! Fsssst!

‘That thing is truly annoying.’

Hatred’s right hand had the ability to transform into a lethal weapon at will.

The tricky part was that the blade could extend indefinitely.

Kang-hoo had nearly miscalculated the distance and been caught off guard by it several times.

Though now, he had found a way to deal with it.

【Quick Evasion】

By using the Quick Evasion skill, Kang-hoo leveraged the Resistance Veil effect that activated with it.

During evasive maneuvers, his evasion rate for both skills and attacks increased, allowing him to avoid danger.

Because of this, Hatred’s right-hand attack only grazed the spot where Kang-hoo had been standing moments ago.

On the other hand, Kang-hoo, knowing Hatred was quick to learn, never repeated the same attack pattern.

【Collapse】

Rumble!

This time, it was Collapse.

Hatred stumbled, unable to maintain balance as the ground under its feet gave way.

Had it reacted faster, it could have kicked off the ground before it sank, but its response was half a beat too late.

【Hallucination】

As Hatred’s body faltered and its mental focus wavered, Kang-hoo immediately cast Hallucination.

Whether successful or not, the skill guaranteed a 0.75-second hallucination effect.

Though not extremely dramatic, Hallucination slightly distorted the opponent’s field of vision.

Caught in the collapse, Hatred’s focus on Kang-hoo weakened, making it the perfect variable for Kang-hoo to exploit.

Whoosh!

Hatred quickly found footing and leaped into the air.

However—

Kang-hoo was nowhere to be seen.

Despite quickly scanning in all directions, not even Kang-hoo’s body heat could be detected.

Hatred didn’t know.

In that brief moment, Kang-hoo had laid down a veil of stealth and was already waiting at the spot where Hatred would land.

【No Shadow】

Completely erasing his presence, Kang-hoo had hidden his position with meticulous precision.

Hatred felt frustrated.

It thought it had set a perfect trap with the Line of Distortion to snare Kang-hoo, but nothing worked.

Kang-hoo, with his heightened sensitivity to mana flow, could feel the line in his body even if he couldn’t see it.

But Hatred underestimated Kang-hoo’s sharp instincts. It doubted that such a thing was even possible.

Anyway, as soon as it landed, Hatred planned to reset the Line of Distortion and threaten Kang-hoo again.

Dragging the fight out into a chaotic melee and luring Kang-hoo into the lines would certainly be amusing.

But just then—

Hatred sensed something unusual where it was about to land.

Though invisible, it felt something off—its senses as sharp as Kang-hoo’s.

However, descending from the apex of an arc in midair made evading the danger nearly impossible.

As expected.

【Lightning Blade】

Kang-hoo immediately threw his dagger.

It was a threatening dagger throw with a push-back effect included.

“Tch!”

For the first time, Hatred made a sound.

With no way to defend himself at the moment, he crossed his arms in an X shape.

It was much better to sacrifice an arm than to be stabbed somewhere more critical.

Even in a disadvantageous situation, Hatred quickly thought of a cheap exchange. At least, he thought it was “clever.”

However—

Thud!

Boom!

The dagger struck Hatred’s arm, and the push-back effect activated, sending his body flying backward.

The impact was so tremendous that Hatred’s body bent into a C-shape.

Kang-hoo didn’t miss the opportunity and quickly followed after the airborne Hatred.

A skilled assassin never misses a chance and never lets go of prey once it’s in their jaws—like a beast with a powerful bite.

At that moment—

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Hatred, flying backward, threw two daggers hidden behind his back at Kang-hoo.

The reverse propulsion made them slower, but they were close enough to still be a significant threat.

【Petrification】

Clang! Clang!

Kang-hoo momentarily halted and used his skill to turn his entire front into stone, blocking the attack.

Without any push-back effect, Hatred’s dagger throw was meaningless against petrification.

“Damn it.”

Hatred instinctively sensed danger.

His counterattack, created by squeezing out every last bit of strength in a disadvantageous situation, had been too easily rendered ineffective.

When one uses an opportunity, a bill is always issued in return. Kang-hoo was that bill.

【Fire Attribute Enchantment】

Sizzle!

Kang-hoo’s dagger, now enchanted with fire, began glowing red-hot.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

While Hatred was still tumbling backward like a spring after crashing into the ground, unable to stop—

Kang-hoo swiftly closed the distance, without hesitation, and delivered a decisive slash.

He didn’t worry at all about the toll on his stamina. He trusted Ahn Yeong-ho to cover for him.

Thud!

The slash pierced Hatred’s left forearm, hitting the exact spot where the Lightning Blade had struck earlier.

Meanwhile, Hatred reshaped his right arm into a blade, fiercely aiming for Kang-hoo’s side.

Entangled in combat, Hatred thought it was a fight worth engaging in. After all, it had turned into a melee.

【Self-Defense – Level 3】

Clang!

Hatred’s calculations were immediately off.

The dagger, intended to dig deep into Kang-hoo’s side, was blocked by his Self-Defense – Level 3 skill.

It caused a 0.5-second disarm effect.

Thud! Thud!

Kang-hoo retaliated twice, stabbing Hatred’s left forearm again.

This time, Hatred’s elbow and forearm were torn apart, and the pain was beyond imagination.

Even Hatred, who had kept his mouth shut all this time, couldn’t help but let out a groan.

However, Hatred’s mental fortitude turned his pain into determination, and once again, he targeted Kang-hoo.

Still within close range, Hatred believed that if it was worth trying for Kang-hoo, it was equally worth trying for him.

Whoosh!

With a slicing sound, Hatred’s right arm, transformed into a blade, aimed for Kang-hoo’s abdomen.

But—

【Self-Defense – Level 2】

It was blocked again.

This time, it was Self-Defense Level 2.

Hatred’s attack was successfully thwarted by another disarm chance.

Kang-hoo’s clean response took into account the assassin’s weakness of lacking multi-hit capability.

At that moment, Hatred’s mind went blank. Something had gone terribly wrong.

Two of his strategic attacks were completely blocked by Kang-hoo’s well-hidden Self-Defense skills.

The price for failure was a left arm that was now in tatters, barely recognizable as part of his body.

【Thunder Strike】

Crackle!

A storm of electricity relentlessly battered the collapsed Hatred on the ground.

Since the thunderous current didn’t affect Kang-hoo as the caster, Hatred could only take the hits one-sidedly.

“Keuk keuk… Keuk keuk.”

Hatred let out a crazed laugh. It was the laugh of someone steeped in despair.

His body jerked uncontrollably as the electricity surged through the wound in his left arm.

“Have you laughed enough?”

Kang-hoo pressed his left hand against Hatred’s throat, who was still shaking with laughter.

His functioning right arm was pinned down by Kang-hoo’s knee, leaving Hatred effectively disarmed.

Whoosh!

It was then that Hatred’s recovery pattern began to activate, albeit late.

Unlike Joy, the mid-boss monster, Hatred’s recovery pattern was active—it had to trigger it himself.

But it was too late.

Kang-hoo decided to take a much safer route to finish him off than risking a death blow.

That method was—

【Decisive Slash】

Thud!

—embedding a dagger right into the center of Hatred’s forehead.

And that was the end.

The electric current from Thunder Strike fried Hatred’s brain in an instant through the wound on his forehead.

Hatred’s time and memories froze the moment Kang-hoo drove the dagger into him. There would be no next time.

With Hatred’s death, Kang-hoo’s skill window flickered as the Line of Distortion was acquired through plunder and succession.

【Line of Distortion】

【Skill Mastery: Lv. Max】

【The caster designates the start and end points, creating a line of space up to 10 meters between them.

The space line is completely invisible to the naked eye and has the durability and elasticity of a thin thread.

When "Distortion" is activated, space twists along the surface of the line, inflicting damage.

Regardless of the length, 50 mana is consumed to cast it, and only one Line of Distortion can be maintained at a time.】

‘Finally.’

Kang-hoo had obtained a skill specialized for assassins.

A skill perfect for controlling an opponent’s movements while leading them to his desired battlefield—a skill that suited Kang-hoo’s enjoyment of creating unexpected variables.