Chapter 41: Punishnt (1)
Jo Gu-bin chuckled repeatedly as he alternated between putting on and taking off various items.
Each ti, he reveled in checking the changing stats.
Who calls Ground Zero a land of death? Its a land of opportunities and treasures!
His shoulders shook with amusent.
This place was essentially North Korean territory.
Thus, even if officers from the Hunter Public Safety Bureau conducted searches, they would overlook this area.
That was why Jo Gu-bin had killed a hunter who lived here.
This is the perfect place to settle down. Good. I wont have to worry for a while. Keke.
He muttered to himself as he began to bury the body of the original owner sprawled on the ground.
He seed intent on erasing his tracks, given the depth of the hole he had dug.
Dug-dug!
As he was busily sweating to bury the body,
Huh?
Jo Gu-bin sensed sothing.
An unidentified chill was lurking nearby.
At the sa ti, his instincts warned him.
Damn it!
He flung his body to the left instinctively.
Not because he saw sothing, but because he felt soones presence.
In that instant,
Swish!
Argh!
A dagger that narrowly missed his thigh, leaving a long cut, was Kang-hoos.
Had he not moved, it would have been his waist, not his thigh, that would have been pierced.
Damn it!
Jo Gu-bin cursed and pressed a button to activate one of the defense chanisms installed by the previous owner.
Whirr.
With a chanical sound, dozens of hanging water buckets overturned, spilling their contents.
It was a thick black liquid that resembled paint and was nacing at a glance.
It seed designed to both visually hinder and physically impede intruders.
Die, you bastard!
As Jo Gu-bin reached toward the sky, the spilling liquid instantly froze into sharp, spike-like formations.
[Ice Witch]
[From the ancient glaciers, this constellation bestows ice attributes and enhances ice abilities.]
[Frenzied Murderer]
[After killing twenty humans in succession, he inexplicably beca a constellation, wreaking havoc in the celestial realm.]
[Once your kill count exceeds twenty, the constellation bestows random stat boosts at unpredictable intervals. These boosts are ongoing and permanent.]
One insignificant constellation has latched onto him.
Kang-hoo reviewed the list of constellations bound to Jo Gu-bin and let out a sardonic chuckle.
Providing extra stats for each kill? Its almost like an incentive for murder.
Regardless, he had a solid understanding of Jo Gu-bins capabilities.
The man was a hunter with mastery over ice powers.
He could turn ambient moisture or any spilt liquid into deadly weapons.
Whoosh.
Surrounding Jo Gu-bin, ice sharpened into lethal spikes whirled in the air.
It was a protective asure of sorts.
If Kang-hoo teleported recklessly while Jo Gu-bin was in that state, hed likely end up in even greater peril.
First, Kang-hoo took note of the substantial wound on Jo Gu-bins left thigh.
Without a ans of rapid healing, the injury would surely hinder his mobility.
Endurance is key in combat.
Thats why Kang-hoo aid for that obvious vulnerability.
Since the objective wasnt to rescue the man but to eliminate him, Kang-hoo wasnt about to quibble over tactics.
Kang-hoo intently watched the circling ice spikes around Jo Gu-bin.
At first glance, they seed to move randomly as he brushed away several spikes.
But on closer examination, each spike orbited Jo Gu-bin at a constant speed.
Every shard had its own distinct pace.
Kang-hoo, with his sharp eyesight, quickly discerned the variation.
And as Jo Gu-bin readied a skill, Kang-hoo executed his teleportation maneuver towards him.
Uh-oh! Keuk.
Caught midair and pulled toward Kang-hoo, Jo Gu-bin scoffed in mockery.
Though taken aback by the unanticipated offensive strategy, he was certain he wouldnt be outwitted by such simple tricks.
Even if he were dragged along, Kang-hoo would also have been significantly wounded by the ice spikes.
But.
What?
Just when the ice spikes were expected to attack Kang-hoo.
Tadak.
Kang-hoo rolled forward through the gap.
Fwook!
He easily thrust his dagger into the front of Jo Gu-bins thigh.
It wasnt a simple basic attack.
He used the Decapitation skill.
Kang-hoo was determined to inflict a critical wound, even if it cost him 25% of his health and mana.
Keeoek!
Bang!
Simultaneously, Kang-hoos shadow, which had sprung back like a spring, had already secured a safe distance.
Soon, Kang-hoos figure, which had been right in front, blurred suddenly, and then he appeared, having switched places with his shadow.
Keeeuuuh!
Jo Gu-bin clutched his left thigh and writhed in pain.
The place where the dagger had entered and exited felt like it was burning with searing pain.
It was as if fire had been lit inside the wound, or as if it was being branded with a hot iron.
The pain intensified.
Heuk. Heuk.
I cant exert any strength.
It feels like my muscles and nerves are completely severed.
Jo Gu-bin tried to maintain so defensive asures and use a skill against Kang-hoo.
But his mind, consud by pain, couldnt provide the necessary concentration.
Jo Gu-bin exclaid.
Damn it, who, who are you? What are you?
What do you an? Im the guy who ca to catch you.
Ive never seen you before
I dont know what you want
to do about that.
Kang-hoo looked at Jo Gu-bin with a disdainful expression.
A weakness of magic-using hunters is their vulnerability to pain.
Unlike close-combat hunters, they need ntal focus to use magic skills.
When pain occurs simultaneously or becos unbearably deep and intense,
His concentration was disrupted, causing his accuracy to plumt or making him unable to prepare at all.
Kang-hoos brief pause in attacking to respond to Jo Gu-bins words wasnt out of complacency.
Jo Gu-bin tried to counterattack, aiming to inflict a fatal wound.
He deliberately offered a timing.
Why are you trying to kill , you bastard!
I dont think I need to listen to a guy who was just digging a hole to bury a corpse.
Did soone hire you or sothing?
Dont try to stall; just co at . Lets see what youve got.
As Kang-hoo spoke, Jo Gu-bin, perhaps feeling provoked, clasped his hands together.
Then the air around him began to swirl, quickly forming a sharp ice spear.
It goes without saying that the tip was sharp, and it seed to possess high piercing power as it was imbued with mana.
But.
Tap!
As if he had anticipated it, Kang-hoo flicked his finger, activating Blood Flower, which unleashed havoc upon Jo Gu-bin.
Boom!
Aaaaah!
With a scream, Jo Gu-bins forming ice spear dissipated into nothingness.
It shattered.
But that was a secondary issue.
The real problem was that Jo Gu-bins perspective of the world began to shift sideways.
The explosion of Blood Flower had severed the already heavily damaged area below his left thigh.
It resulted in an amputation.
As his left leg, which had been barely supporting him, vanished, Jo Gu-bins body tilted and fell.
This is impossible
Jo Gu-bin wore a look of shock.
His opponent was a dagger-wielding assassin-type hunter.
Unless he was blind, he had clearly seen that characteristic.
Theres sothing known as common sense.
Magic hunters typically employ long-range restraining spells, while assassin hunters favor close-combat attack skills.
There might be exceptions, but the general pattern remains.
For instance, its unusual for an assassin to wield magic or for a mage to carry out close-range assassinations.
Yet, Kang-hoo had used magic to cause an explosion in Jo Gu-bins left leg from a distance.
Before Jo Gu-bin could make sense of this unimaginable scenario and understand what had happened.
Boom!
Ouch!
He lost his balance and rolled on the ground.
Needless to say, his face hitting the wet and cold ground, covered with fallen leaves, was unpleasant.
Thud! Thwok!
With a leap to close the distance, Kang-hoo pulled out the Dagger of Skys Joy and drove it into the back of the fallen Jo Gu-bins hand.
The ground, sowhat hardened, allowed the dagger to penetrate deeply.
Aaaah!
Jo Gu-bin scread.
Not stopping there, Kang-hoo took a practice dagger and drove it into Jo Gu-bins other hand.
Now with both hands pinned to the ground, Jo Gu-bin flailed helplessly on his stomach.
Crunch!
Keeoek!
As if that wasnt enough, Kang-hoo pressed his heavily soled shoe onto Jo Gu-bins cheek as he stood up.
It was a pathetic sight.
What sin do children have, to be kidnapped and killed by soone like you? But then again, asking you for a reason is a luxury.
Keke! Its a sin to have a rich father! Isnt it? If youre that rich, protect your daughter better, kekeke!
Kang-hoo shook his head at Jo Gu-bins response, which had lost all semblance of logic.
He felt that even calling this waste human in the term human trash was too generous.
Jo Gu-bin, thinking his previous statent hadnt conveyed enough aning, continued with a giggle.
You see, kids! They have an innocence that doesnt know the ways of the world, which makes deceiving them ten tis more enjoyable Aaaaah!
Before Jo Gu-bin could finish his sentence, Kang-hoos dagger struck again.
Armpit, behind the elbow, entire wrist, groin, hamstring, Achilles tendon.
These were areas where even a minor injury could hinder movent and cause imnse pain.
He had no intention of seriously listening to Jo Gu-bins nonsensical ramblings.
Aaaah! Ah! Please! Aack! It hurts so much!
Jo Gu-bin writhed in pain.
He knew his own pain so well, yet why couldnt he understand the pain of others?
Its likely because hes that kind of person that he beca a criminal.
Kang-hoo didnt bother trying to understand Jo Gu-bin.
Overwheld by pain, Jo Gu-bin couldnt even think of using magic.
The situation had already been settled.
All that remained was to conclude the task.
Kang-hoo took out his smartphone and dialed the number given by Lee Ye-rin.
He called the father who had lost his daughter to Jo Gu-bin.
Before the ringtone could finish once,
Yes, Ive answered the call,
The mans voice tried to sound calm but couldnt hide the trembling emotion at the end.
Kang-hoo didnt reveal himself.
Instead, he fild Jo Gu-bin writhing on the ground.
Calmly, he said,
Sir, I will now begin the revenge for your daughter.
It was a statent with a clear purpose, and for the listener, it was chilling.
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