The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

Thwack!

“You f***ing bastard!”

“Keuhk!”

“Lift your damn head, you bastard!”

Crack!

“Keo-eok!”

“I sent you to tail him, not to get caught and spill everything, you idiot!”

“Kkeo-geok…….”

“Not only did you get threatened, but you even apologized? Are you out of your mind?”

“You’re my direct subordinate. Do you think I raised you to bow your head to just anyone? Why are you even alive? You should’ve just bitten your tongue and died, huh? Why are you still breathing? You have the guts to apologize but not to kill yourself?”

“I’m sorry, Boss!”

Meanwhile.

Before reporting to Jang Si-hwan, Kim Hui-un had gone to see Chae Gwanhyeong—only to be beaten one-sidedly.

Blood from his split lips and broken teeth streamed down, covering his entire face.

“You ruined my shoes, you bastard!”

Chae Gwanhyeong threw his luxury shoes at Kim Hui-un’s face.

Kim Hui-un, in his twisted perception, believed this violent outburst was Chae Gwanhyeong’s way of showing concern for him.

But Chae Gwanhyeong thought differently.

He was simply furious.

A ‘tool’ is only meaningful when it functions as its owner intends.

A pair of scissors that can’t cut.

A knife that can’t peel fruit.

Would they be useful?

No. Such tools should be discarded—they have no value.

Right now, Kim Hui-un was exactly that.

If the man sent to tail someone failed to do so, did he even deserve to live? He was defective. Disposal was the only option.

“I’m sorry, Boss……”

“You should have either killed Shin Kang-hoo or died trying. Ha…… This is so f***ing frustrating.”

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Chae Gwanhyeong slammed his fists onto his desk.

The desk, unable to withstand his rage, shattered into pieces. That’s how furious he was.

Perhaps venting helped a little, as Chae Gwanhyeong, now slightly calmer, questioned Kim Hui-un.

“How did you get caught? Explain.”

“Well…….”

Kim Hui-un hesitantly recounted everything that had happened while tailing Kang-hoo.

Throughout his explanation, Chae Gwanhyeong’s reaction remained the same—he simply let out deep sighs while looking at Kim Hui-un as if he were pathetic.

But after listening to the full story, he had to admit—it was inevitable.

Even though Kim Hui-un had failed his mission, he wasn’t the type to lie.

His words could be trusted.

If that was the case, then it was a fact—Kang-hoo had both teleportation and rear detection abilities.

“For now, you’re on probation. I’ll handle Si-hwan. But we need to do something about that bastard Shin Kang-hoo. He dares to humiliate one of our guild’s hunters? That f***ing bastard……”

Chae Gwanhyeong’s hostility was unfiltered.

From the very start, he disliked the fact that Jang Si-hwan was interested in Kang-hoo.

At the end of the day, he was just some low-level assassin with a few cheap tricks up his sleeve.

What was so special about him that he deserved a recruitment offer, a secret tailing operation, and an order not to engage?

They should just give him an ultimatum—join Jeonghwa Guild after getting beaten half to death or just die. That would solve everything.

“Our guild keeps acting soft, so that bastard thinks he can just walk all over us. Someone like him needs a proper re-education. F***.”

Irritated, Chae Gwanhyeong lit a cigarette and stormed out of his house.

Then, as his temper flared up again, he turned back and shouted at Kim Hui-un.

“Get lost, you bastard!”

A subordinate who had failed his mission.

Just looking at him made Chae Gwanhyeong sick.

He considered it merciful that he had stopped at this level of punishment.

Meanwhile.

Kang-hoo had reached about 5 kilometers from Ground Zero, in the northern region of Gyeonggi Province.

He had come here for one reason—to pass through Ground Zero and enter North Korean territory.

There was only one reason for that—to create an opportunity to form a contract with the Constellation ‘Angel of the Battlefield.’

Currently, Kang-hoo had two remaining main Constellation slots.

Even if he strategically left one open, there was no reason to keep both vacant.

So before it was too late, he traveled north to forge a contract with the Angel of the Battlefield.

Once he began his Spiritual Training at the Sanctuary of Darkness, he would no longer be able to contract with Constellations related to divine power.

At that point, even if he wanted to contract the Angel of the Battlefield, it would be impossible.

That’s why he intended to settle the matter now.

And no matter how he looked at it, he was a much better candidate than Elizabeth.

Of course, the eventual consent or opinion of the one involved didn’t matter at all.

After all, the future was something they wouldn’t even know about.

‘Guess I’ll be seeing a ton of Hybrids again.’

Attracting the Angel of the Battlefield’s interest was simple.

Kill a lot of Hybrids.

There was no fixed number.

Just kill as many as possible. Enough to be seen as a lunatic obsessed with Hybrid extermination.

As expected, this also meant he would eventually have to face the Brood Queen.

It was never going to be an easy challenge.

“Could you wait just a little longer? Adjusting the output is taking some time. As you know… this is an illegal modification.”

Kang-hoo was at a bike shop, purchasing a motorcycle necessary for entering North Korean territory.

He only needed it for the journey there.

For the return trip, he planned to teleport back, so he had requested modifications to maximize its performance.

He needed to reach northern South Pyongan Province, where swarms of Hybrids gathered in clusters.

Since the journey there would be far from smooth, modifications were essential.

“Hurry up.”

Thud!

Kang-hoo tossed a wad of 50,000 won bills onto the counter. With his motivation solidified, the shopkeeper hastened his work.

Meanwhile, Kang-hoo turned his attention to a TV in the shop, which was broadcasting hunter-related news.

【The Hunter Public Safety Bureau released an official statement today, declaring a full-scale war against the criminal organization ‘The Abyss.’

Now, let’s listen to the statement from Chief Kang Hyo-tae.】

Following the anchor’s introduction, a press conference featuring Chief Kang Hyo-tae played on the screen.

He had been nothing more than a puppet figure in the original storyline.

The protagonist, Jang Si-hwan, had always treated him well, stringing him along for convenient use.

It seemed his role remained unchanged even now, as he firmly delivered the statement.

However, what followed was exceptional in the worst possible way.

To prepare for war against The Abyss, not only Seoul but also provincial Public Safety forces would be mobilized.

Of course, the influence of regional bureaus was already weak, but they still provided a certain level of deterrence.

Stripping them of more manpower was practically an invitation for chaos.

No one but an absolute fool would make such a reckless decision. The so-called elite officials wouldn’t choose this route unless forced.

The Jeonghwa Guild must have been pressuring them—more specifically, Jang Si-hwan.

‘What else can a lackey do but wag his tail? His only skill is licking boots.’

Kang-hoo understood why the Public Safety Bureau was making a mess of things, though he had no intention of supporting them.

【The Haeyoung Guild has also announced its official support for Jeonghwa Guild’s efforts in eradicating criminal organizations.】

‘They’re playing their cards well.’

The Haeyoung Guild always knew when to join in and when to back out.

They clearly wanted to earn Jang Si-hwan’s favor during this opportunity.

This development significantly increased the chances of The Abyss being at a disadvantage.

Lee Hyun-seok wouldn’t give in easily, but the Battle of Dongducheon could no longer be viewed as a guaranteed victory.

In fact, considering a tactical retreat might be the wiser move.

‘Well, he’ll figure it out.’

Kang-hoo trusted Lee Hyun-seok.

Besides, while he had his concerns, he couldn’t afford to actively aid The Abyss.

For now, the best option was simply to observe.

At that moment.

“We’re all set. I also threw in an extra fuel canister, just in case.”

With the final adjustments complete, the shopkeeper handed over the motorcycle and its keys to Kang-hoo.

Having seen many hunters use bikes in situations like this, he didn’t forget to offer a few words of encouragement.

“Stay safe. I hope to see you again.”

It was a roundabout way of saying ‘Don’t die.’

Many hunters didn’t even make it past Ground Zero, after all.

“See you next time.”

Kang-hoo nodded.

Vroom! Vroom-vroom!

He immediately sped off.

From this point on, it was a race against time.

Destination: Northern South Pyongan Province.

Passing through Pyongyang, Phyongsong, then Sunchon, and finally reaching Kaechon.

Fortunately, nothing unusual happened until he reached Pyongyang.

The monsters that had taken over Ground Zero seemed to have settled down as he left its perimeter.

Additionally, the illegal modifications had worked better than expected—the bike’s speed exceeded his estimates.

The roads weren’t in terrible condition, so he arrived in Pyongyang faster than anticipated.

The city was frozen in time, preserved exactly as it had been before the Hunter Era.

Though rusted and faded, the statues remained standing.

The unfinished Ryugyong Hotel still loomed in place, unchanged.

Having been abandoned for so long, it exuded a gloomy aura, making it seem like a monstrous ruin.

Not that it had ever been anything else.

“…….”

Silence filled the air.

Aside from the roar of Kang-hoo’s bike, the eerie stillness was suffocating—like a true ghost town.

Years ago, the Public Safety Bureau had ventured into Pyongyang to retrieve corpses and remains.

As a result, there weren’t many skeletal remains or collapsed structures on the roads.

The reason they had bothered to come all the way to Pyongyang back then was to search for hidden dungeons.

Claiming a dungeon the moment it was discovered meant automatic ownership.

But for some reason, not a single dungeon had ever spawned in Pyongyang.

It had been a fruitless expedition.

Then.

Ttak-tak.

“……?”

Amidst the utter silence, a sudden clatter echoed—something was nearby.

Focusing his Sensory Enhancement Skill, Kang-hoo amplified his hearing.

Hoo… Hoo… Hoo…

Soft breathing noises reached his ears, carefully restrained.

And there were many of them.

Kang-hoo held his breath.

Both sides were locked in a tense standoff.

Even without seeing them, he knew they were enemies.

Vwooom!

Without hesitation, Kang-hoo twisted the throttle to its maximum, accelerating instantly.

Thud-thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud!

From behind a crumbling building, figures emerged.

“Deer?”

It was a deer.

More precisely, mutant deer that had undergone monstrous transformations over time.

Despite existing outside of dungeons, these creatures still provided experience points and loot upon death.

They were, for all intents and purposes, monsters.

And like all monsters, they instinctively harbored aggression toward hunters.

Screeee!

Even though Kang-hoo had accelerated rapidly…

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The mutant deer were chasing him—at unbelievable speeds.

Their legs blurred, moving too fast to track.

Engaging them in melee combat was out of the question.

A single, well-aimed kick from their powerful hind legs could snap his neck or spine in an instant.

So.

Rather than a direct confrontation, Kang-hoo opted to outrun them using his bike.

A high-speed chase had begun in the middle of Pyongyang.