Chapter 128: Jin Hyo-young (3)
“I didn’t an to kill you…”
Thud!
Tragically, Jin Hyo-young’s life was abruptly ended. She couldn’t complete her sentence before succumbing to death.
“I didn’t know you would die from that attack either.”
Kang-hoo sneered at the lifeless Jin Hyo-young.
What she likely ant to say was that she hadn’t intended to kill, so why should she be killed?
The more I ponder it, the more absurd it seems.
She clearly didn’t understand that being alive to face kidnapping or trafficking is a fate far worse than death.
Had she truly considered such outcos, she would never have embarked on her dangerous path.
To leave behind words claiming she didn’t intend to kill, after attempting to drag soone down with her, is ironic.
Given Jin Hyo-young’s valuable skills and appearance, her demise was indeed regrettable.
Nonetheless, I acquired the Constellations of Nightmare and Heart Demon, which had piqued my interest even before the battle.
The Constellation of Nightmare might not be imdiately beneficial, but the Constellation of Heart Demon seed particularly useful for future encounters.
It ans I can now perfectly neutralize ntal attacks from adversaries who fear .
Fortuitously or unfortunately, her death ca enveloped in a dark-red outer layer.
Thus, she was spared the indignity of being left exposed. Though, in a way, this could still be considered a form of exposure.
Kang-hoo ticulously relieved her of her possessions.
I removed her magic-focused items, planning to sell them, and kept a ‘bracelet’ that seed useful for myself.
The bracelet I’m currently wearing is a Rank 6 ‘Mage Hunter’ bracelet, which boosts anti-magic by 25.
The bracelet worn by Jin Hyo-young offered far superior benefits.
【Pear Blossom - Bracelet】
【Rank: 4】
【Anti-Magic
50】
【Durability
50】
There was no reason for
not to make the switch.
I was quite satisfied with it.
It made
question if I had been overly frugal with my investnts in bracelets until now.
【Shin Kang-hoo Lv.103】
【Class: Assassin】
【Unique Talent: Quite Excellent Strength / Exceptionally Excellent Dynamic Vision】
【Strength 670】 【Agility 270】
【Stamina 721】 【Magic 20】
【Anti-Magic 445】 【Durability 595】
【* Dark Energy 100】
Checking my stats on the full screen for the first ti in a while, I was generally pleased.
It’s no problem to deliberately keep my magic below 50.
As for the Dark Energy stat, the ‘*’ indicates it’s a stat that doesn’t exist for traditional hunters.
The sa goes for the marking of hidden skills; for instance, White Day Slash and Black Moon Slash are marked with a (’*’) next to their nas.
“All in all… it’s worth about 5 billion won.”
Kang-hoo estimated the value of the items he took from Jin Hyo-young.
That’s quite a profit for a 12-hour investnt.
And then.
I checked her smartphone. If soone had ordered her, they would have made at least one call.
So, I looked at the call log, and what do you know, a too familiar na caught Kang-hoo’s eye.
“They really are up to all sorts.”
The person who left their na all over the recent call records was none other than Kang Dong-hyun.
Jin Hyo-young was also a hunting dog sent by Eclipse. Or perhaps… it could be said she was a honey trap.
Kang-hoo made the call.
Kang Dong-hyun seed to be waiting, as the connection was imdiate.
-So quick? Was Hyo-young better at this than I thought?
“Just spouting nonsense.”
-What, f*ck?
A mont of sharp swearing passed between them. Their expressions darkened simultaneously.
Kang-hoo’s face was filled with displeasure, while Kang Dong-hyun appeared slightly flustered.
Kang Dong-hyun asked.
-Is Hyo-young dead?
“Even if you think of your hunting dogs’ lives as worthless, isn’t it too easy to throw them away?”
-Her sleep ability didn’t work either? Wow… Impressive, Shin Kang-hoo?
“If you’re praising
because you’re embarrassed about being beaten twice, I’ll accept that.”
-Yeah. Quite embarrassing. Happy now?
“Why are you so interested in ?”
-You know why.
“Kang Dong-hyun. Given the circumstances, Eclipse better watch its step from now on.”
-Why, are you breaking the non-aggression pact?
“I can forgive favoritism, but not stalking. I hate it even more when soone like you clings.”
-Alright. Look forward to it. You’d better watch your back from now on. I tend to hold grudges more than you think.
“Isn’t it your side that’s at a disadvantage, with so many of you? I’m completely alone.”
-Shin Kang-hoo. You won’t be able to use the alias Jung Sun-kyu anymore. I’ll help you find your lost self. How’s that for consideration?
“As usual, a guy who sends underlings twice because he doesn’t have the guts to show up himself. Do whatever you please.”
-Shin Kang-hoo. Be careful. The next ti you et
in person, there won’t be a next ti.
“Then co yourself. Don’t just hole up in your room smoking cigarettes.”
-Shin…!
Kang-hoo hung up the phone.
Given that things with Eclipse had been bad from the start, becoming officially enemies now didn’t bother him.
It was rather fortunate that he had been able to live quietly until now since escaping from the Cheongmyeong Detention Center.
The sa went for the alias.
Even if his real na beca known to the world, it wouldn’t have been a problem.
If he had been a hunter making noticeable achievents using his real na, there might have been a lot to hide.
For Kang-hoo, his real na was a symbol of the innocence before he was dragged into the Cheongmyeong Detention Center.
That is, even if they followed his real na to investigate his life, they’d only find 29 years of living as an orphan.
It was rather fortunate.
He planned to reveal his real na to the people around him this ti.
Operating under his real na would make license processing and official tasks much faster.
Of course, this would also allow the Hunter Public Safety Bureau to officially monitor him, though that was a downside.
Since monitoring was rely about observing results after the fact, it wasn’t really a problem.
“…….”
Kang-hoo stared expressionlessly at Jin Hyo-young’s body, lying in the empty field for a long ti.
What had she wanted?
Was it Kang Dong-hyun’s approval?
Or was it to constantly affirm her superiority based on her looks and fill her self-esteem?
Step by step, step.
Indifferently, Kang-hoo’s steps faded into the reeds against the backdrop of the dawn moon.
The delicate balance between life and death was not unique to this place; it occurred everywhere.
It was just another dawn, nothing special. Just a bit more tumultuous.
Afterward.
Having moved to Gyeongju in advance, Kang-hoo checked into a hotel and rested well.
Kang-hoo had decided to et Park Dong-jae in the evening, so there was still plenty of ti.
Hunter News was reporting as breaking news that Jeon Electric Pharmaceuticals’ first storage warehouse had exploded.
The storage warehouse, filled with expensive and various raw materials, had high security.
This ant that a significant number of people were involved in this explosion.
The flas of the White War were properly igniting.
From the perspective of Jang Si-hwan in the original story, it was just a slightly noisy issue outside of Seoul.
But from the perspective of a rcenary, reality was completely different. It was a close and possible reality that one could be swept into.
“I do need to farm Dark Energy for sure…”
Kang-hoo muttered.
Of course, increasing the Dark Energy stat alone wasn’t the answer; Dark Energy skills also needed to be improved.
For this, strategizing in Japan was essential, but unfortunately, he couldn’t go right away.
However, he could look at the Rikou Guild’s owned dungeon list in advance and make plans.
For example, he could request a list prioritizing dungeons with an undead concept.
“I wonder if asking for observer status is too much.”
Observer status allows one to receive treatnt almost as if they were a guild mber, without actually being affiliated.
The treatnt Kang-hoo received from the Spitfire Guild was precisely this observer status.
If the Rikou Guild could extend that much power, activities would beco much easier.
It seed necessary to make good use of An Yeong-ho. Given his uncle’s imnse power, it wasn’t as if there were no options.
“Speaking of which… if I go to the Rikou Guild, does that an I’ll et Akiyama Takashi?”
Suddenly, a na ca to mind.
Akiyama Takashi.
A hunter currently acting as an observer for the Rikou Guild and also a mber of The Thirteen Stars.
Unlike other mbers who were active publicly, no one had seen Takashi’s face.
Even The Thirteen Stars had not seen him; they had only heard his voice.
The reason was simple.
The entity active publicly was Takashi’s avatar, not his actual self.
This was a concept separate from avatar magic, where the avatar and the original were a community of fate.
The avatar grows through outside activities, while the original stays ho, ‘controlling’ the avatar.
Surprisingly, this control was conducted through a special pad designed by Takashi himself.
For Takashi, every mont of controlling the avatar was like playing a ga.
They shared not only sight and senses but also fate. If the avatar dies? The original dies too.
“By now, he must be indulging in the samurai concept, causing chaos by dressing his avatar in various colored masks.”
It was uncertain if there would be business this ti. However, he did want to et him if possible.
Because he was very skilled at analyzing patterns and debuffs in new dungeons, Jang Si-hwan had personally recruited him in the original story.
He joined The Thirteen Stars not out of a sense of mission but for the opportunity to take on various challenges.
“This should be interesting.”
Thinking ahead about his activities in Japan brought both anticipation and a bit of nervousness.
The ecosystem there was different from Korea’s, and there were guilds hostile to Korean hunters.
Since it was a foreign country, there were definitely things to be cautious about, so he planned to move carefully.
5:30 PM.
“Are you here?”
Park Dong-jae, who had arrived 30 minutes earlier than the agreed ti on purpose, greeted Kang-hoo.
The ssages exchanged just before had said he was just leaving Gyeongju Station, but that must have been a lie.
“You lied.”
“I wanted to co early to check the surroundings and see if there were any dangers.”
“All by yourself?”
“It’s a small token of gratitude for my lifesaver.”
“Anyway, we should drop formalities now. It gets annoying when there’s a lot to say.”
“Okay. I’ll call you ‘hyung’. No, I will!”
“Right. Let’s go with that.”
The sorting of their relationship was swiftly completed.
As Kang-hoo was older than Park Dong-jae, they naturally settled into a brotherly relationship.
Kang-hoo asked.
“The briefing?”
“Not needed. This dungeon is one that Se-hyeok hyung, Se-yeong, and I used to frequent. What about Seon-kyu hyung?”
“I’ve already gone through the materials handed over to . Ah, and from now on, call
Kang-hoo.”
“Huh?”
“That’s my real na. Jung Seon-kyu is an alias.”
“Ah…!”
“There’s been an issue that makes it impossible for
to hide my alias anymore.”
Kang-hoo gave a wry smile and showed him a screen he had just pulled up on his smartphone.
It was the content of a new hunter marked for assassination on Eclipse’s official website.
The photo was a mugshot taken just before being incarcerated in Cheongmyeong Detention Center.
【Shin Kang-hoo】
【From Cheongmyeong Detention Center. The alias currently known to be used is 'Jung Seon-kyu'.
Updates will continue as other aliases are identified.】
He has a history of killing key Eclipse mbers Cha So-hee and Jin Hyo-young, and of infiltrating Club Hades to illegally utilize the underground dungeon.
As of today, this hunter is designated as a first-class assassination target by Eclipse, with the following bounty set:
【For capture: 20 billion won and all equipped items.】
【For elimination: 5 billion won and all equipped items.】
“Wow.”
Park Dong-jae’s mouth hung open in shock.
A big shot was standing right in front of him.
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