Beyond the Qi Wall, the Punisher, unaware of what awaited, condensed the Qi Bullet in his right hand.
He prepared to send it flying beyond the quiet wall.
As much as they were cautious with each other, he assud Kang-hoo would likely be waiting rather than readying an attack.
Even if he was preparing to attack, the assassin would still have to approach, so he thought initiating the attack was his responsibility.
However…
Boom!
“……?”
The thunderous roar left the Punisher with a question mark on his face. There was no reason for such a sound…
Screech!
Snap!
…there was.
The Hundred-Day Slash, flying like a raging bull, instantly shattered the Qi Wall and sent the Punisher flying.
The wall shattered like glass, and the Punisher behind it beca a headless ghost in an instant.
The death was so sudden that he died without even having a chance to close his eyes.
“Ugh.”
Kang-hoo, having confird the Punisher’s death, groaned while clutching his throbbing forehead.
Relying solely on condensed magical power without other ans brought on a wave of headaches.
“Well, at least it ended in one go. The performance is solid, as always.”
There’s a reason why the Hundred-Day Slash and the Black Moon Slash are known as hidden skills.
Unlike general skills, which have limitations on their maximum power depending on mastery and composition…
Hidden skills produce output proportional to the input invested. The stronger the input, the greater the power.
This becos a wild card.
If one cannot gauge the opponent’s strength, the power of hidden skills also falls into an unpredictable realm.
Thus, the Punisher died.
Kang-hoo leisurely gathered three Mad Solarkium Flowers. After so processing on-site, he totaled 15.
Additionally, he gathered Solarkium found alongside the Mad Solarkium Flowers.
15 Mad Solarkium.
20 Solarkium.
One of his two objectives here—securing Solarkium—was mostly complete.
He did feel a slight desire to gather about five more Mad Solarkium…
But since those points were far north, he decided to leave it at that.
After all, there would be plenty of opportunities to obtain them in the future, and K might even be able to procure them through other ans.
If it ca to that, Moon Hyeong-seo or Hwang Bo-hye could help secure them, so there was no need to push too hard.
‘Now, let’s find the Queen of the Swarm.’
He updated his next goal.
The Queen of the Swarm’s heart—a necessary ingredient for unsealing the Random Skill Book—was his target.
Since he had confird the existence of the hybrid species, the Queen of the Swarm must be sowhere nearby.
It was now ti to find her.
anwhile,
Gong Yu-seok and Ko Joo-hee were submitting a report on Kang-hoo to Jang Si-hwan.
Their task was to carefully compile and hand over data so that Jang Si-hwan, the final decision-maker, wouldn’t have to look into matters himself.
They were responsible for talent training and recruitnt.
To them, Kang-hoo was an exceptional talent to be recruited urgently and their top priority of interest.
But to Jang Si-hwan, it ant sothing different.
In their eyes, Jang Si-hwan was an extrely busy man.
He was overwheld with countless tasks and had a lot on his plate.
Moreover, due to personal matters that couldn’t be disclosed to the public, his training ti had significantly increased compared to before.
There was a problem with his ability to control the Dark Energy.
A defect had developed in an ability he once wielded without issue.
Such occurrences are rare unless soone suddenly loses their power.
For this reason, Jang Si-hwan had many matters to prioritize.
Therefore, his interest in Kang-hoo wasn’t as intense as that of Gong Yu-seok and Ko Joo-hee.
It could also be a matter of perspective.
To Jang Si-hwan, who had long surpassed level 800, Kang-hoo was rely a “sowhat special” assassin.
After all, Kang-hoo wasn’t the only assassin; similar talents could be found in other countries as well.
After ticulously reviewing the report, Jang Si-hwan alternated his gaze between Gong Yu-seok and Ko Joo-hee.
“There’s been ongoing conflict with Eclipse, and he even fought with Kenji and Yuuji this ti? Plus, he killed a Hunter who ca to assassinate him and a mber of the Toushi Guild?”
Ko Joo-hee answered first.
“Yes. According to unofficial sources, it seems he also contributed to the fall of the Osho rcenary Corps.”
At that mont, a brief glint flickered in Jang Si-hwan’s eyes before it faded.
“The Osho rcenary Corps… where were they based?”
“They were a human trafficking group operating around Gangwon Province.”
“Oh, right. That’s it.”
Though Jang Si-hwan made a slightly disinterested expression, they didn’t attribute any particular aning to it.
“On top of that, given his participation in the Hell of Judgnt as part of the exploration team, he seems to have a favorable impression of our Jeonghwa Guild to so extent.”
“He’s been involved in clashes with Eclipse and shed blood in Japan, so it’s certainly not a typical course of action, wouldn’t you say?”
“I agree.”
“However, he participated in the Hell of Judgnt as an explorer rather than a core combatant… was that necessary?”
Jang Si-hwan squinted one eye.
His mind wandered in a direction different from the doubts that preoccupied Gong Yu-seok and Ko Joo-hee.
To the matter of hidden skills.
During the Hell of Judgnt, a hidden skill related to assassins had definitely appeared.
Even Vincent had taken an interest in it, coming to Korea with the intent of seizing that hidden skill for himself.
Of course, there were many other assassins in the exploration team, not just Kang-hoo.
With the introduction from Yu Cheonghwa, at least ten assassin hunters from the Shinto Guild had co as rcenaries.
They had joined the exploration team for experience, so if Kang-hoo was a suspect, they should also be considered.
He also recalled instructing Vincent to kill Shin Hee-seong, a promising assassin from a guild he suspected.
Naturally, it was a misstep. In any case, the owner of the hidden skill has yet to be revealed.
Gong Yu-seok changed the topic.
“Actually, his activities in Japan have been more remarkable than the dostic ones. His standing with the Rikou Guild is quite favorable.”
“Let’s not overreact. If we push too hard, soone like him will get overly confident.”
“What should we do?”
“In my view, Hunter Shin Kang-hoo is a person who hides more than he shows.”
“Does that an…?”
“Approach him on two tracks. Both of you make direct contact, but also keep an eye on him separately.”
“Then shall we arrange a eting through Lee Ye-rin?”
“That sounds good. Ms. Lee Ye-rin is friendly with and our guild. Let’s proceed with that route.”
Jang Si-hwan made his decision.
At the sa ti, he added one more discreet instruction.
“And by the way, we still have the list of assassin hunters from the Shinto Guild who participated in the Hell of Judgnt, correct?”
“Yes, we do.”
“Investigate every one of them. Budget is no issue; look into their whereabouts and report to personally.”
“Understood.”
The ten assassin hunters from the Shinto Guild.
And Kang-hoo.
Out of these eleven, the hidden skill’s owner was undoubtedly among them.
And if Kang-hoo indeed possessed that hidden skill… he could beco an invaluable asset to keep close.
There are only 77 of these skills worldwide.
The fact that he was chosen by that skill alone speaks to his potential and future value.
Ti passed until just before noon.
Kang-hoo had entered a village, though he couldn’t pinpoint the exact location.
Because the entire village was swarming with hybrid species.
All the beings wandering the streets like zombies were hybrids.
This led Kang-hoo to conclude that the Queen of the Swarm must be nearby.
Kang-hoo, concealed through stealth, quietly observed the situation.
The hybrids patrolled only at fixed intervals, like machines.
No bodies or bones were visible around.
Of course, this didn’t an there were no dead here. Hybrids are perfectly capable of cannibalism.
Since they even chew through bones, it was possible all traces had been erased.
Then—
‘They stopped.’
The entire horde of hybrids suddenly froze, as if frozen in ti, standing still in their tracks.
It was like watching North Korean soldiers facing their leader.
For hybrids, their coordination was uncanny. They even turned their heads with precision, a truly remarkable sight.
Only one being could exert this level of control. The Queen of the Swarm.
‘As I thought.’
A figure, appearing female, was visible entering through the village’s right-side gate… but it was a monster.
Naked, her entire skin was colored yellow and black like that of a hornet.
She looked as though a two-ter-tall woman had donned a bodysuit imitating a hornet’s coloring.
The main difference from a human appearance was that her hands were sharpened like spikes.
In the original storyline, the Queen of the Swarm was only ntioned by na, with no detailed physical description.
Ultimately, this too lay in the realm of the unconscious, but she was far more nacing than the image he’d vaguely imagined.
Then—
‘…Hmm?’
A new elent appeared, one he hadn’t anticipated.
A convoy of ard trucks arrived through the village’s left-side gate, opposite the Queen’s entrance.
Though he couldn’t hear their conversation from a distance, their appearance was clearly not Asian.
‘Kashimar Guild?’
It was plausible.
Even if their base was by the sea, entering inland was simple with the right transportation.
The hunters disembarking from the truck used modified firearms to capture weaker hybrids.
The hunters, seemingly oblivious to the Queen of the Swarm’s presence, targeted mainly hybrids resembling children.
Since they weren’t killing, it seed they had separate research or strategic motives.
An imminent clash!
Predictably enough.
Sensing sothing suspicious, the Queen of the Swarm suddenly grew enraged and charged toward the left gate.
‘Is she an enhanced type?’
Her speed was unimaginably fast as she tore through the ground.
She was even faster than Kang-hoo at his maximum sprint.
Though he wondered why she wasn’t using wings, for now, running seed faster.
And then—
The enraged Queen of the Swarm began slaughtering the hunters.
It wasn’t even a battle.
Each ti the Queen swung her sharp arms, the hunters were sliced apart like tofu.
From Kang-hoo’s unintended vantage point, it was a chance to observe the Queen’s attack patterns.
But for those on the ground, it was pure hell.
‘They’re too low-level.’
For hunters in a danger zone, their skills were lacking.
Of course, maybe his standards were too high, but their basic response skills seed insufficient.
At that mont, one hunter managed to react properly and drove a large sword into the Queen of the Swarm’s back from behind.
Though wounded in his last monts, this swordsman hunter took her down with him.
Shk!
Kang-hoo rose from his position.
He had been waiting for the right mont to intervene, and with the Queen of the Swarm now injured, this seed ideal.
It didn’t matter to him who those dead hunters were or where they ca from.
If they were hunters operating in an organized manner on this land, they were 100% tied to cri. They were far from innocent.
Victory and defeat.
Life and death.
In a battlefield where choices are binary, the only thing that matters is the outco. The process was irrelevant.
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