Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Buff (1)

At that time.

Everyone who could contact Kang-hoo had received a message from him.

It was a link to the official website of Eclipse, which Kang-hoo had shown to Park Dong-jae.

Jung Yuri, who happened to be with Master K at the time, also received the message with him.

“Was it really Hunter Sun-kyu who killed Cha So-hee? No, should I call him Brother Kang-hoo now…?”

“Jin Hyo-young had been active until recently. Looks like he’s recently deceased. He was a cunning one.”

“Grandfather, why would Eclipse disclose such information?”

“It’s too obvious. It’s Kang-hoo, no, the young man Sun-kyu taking a hit at Kang Dong-hyun. To anyone, it looks like a hit list posted in anger, doesn’t it?”

“I heard both were skilled enough to be called Kang Dong-hyun’s hunting dogs.”

“Now I understand why he used an alias. Originating from the detention center… Escaping from that horrific place. He’s no ordinary young man.”

“His real name seems to fit his image better. The name Sun-kyu sounded a bit too soft.”

“Anyway, Kang-hoo will have some headaches now. There’s nothing good about getting entangled with Eclipse.”

“On the contrary, it must be annoying for Eclipse as well, right?”

Jung Yuri’s words made him nod. That made sense. After all, it’s an organization with much to protect.

“Having two hunting dogs killed means Kang Dong-hyun is likely angered by it.”

“Exactly.”

“With so many enemies, Eclipse probably has more to lose than gain. Especially considering Kang-hoo’s skills.”

K laughed.

Judging from what Jung Yuri told him, and his own assessment of Kang-hoo’s skills.

Unless a high-ranking executive or Kang Dong-hyun himself steps in, killing Kang-hoo would be difficult.

Maybe he issued the hit order because he dislikes getting involved in troublesome matters.

Then, the ‘underlings’ would target Kang-hoo themselves. It would save him the hassle and waste of time.

“I’m not sure exactly, but both Cha So-hee and Jin Hyo-young must have been hunters over level 200.”

“Level isn’t everything.”

“Brother Kang-hoo is amazing, isn’t he?”

“Yes. That’s why he pulled you out of Ground Zero and brought you outside like this.”

“Right. Hehe.”

“Let’s see. If Kang-hoo needs help, he’ll ask for it himself. If not, he’ll handle it on his own.”

“I think I’ll do that too.”

“Don’t meddle unnecessarily. He’s used to handling things on his own.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

“Let’s eat.”

“Brother Se-hyuk. You knew, didn’t you?”

“What?”

“That Brother Sun-kyu was involved with Eclipse like this.”

“I knew. It’s just that there was no need to talk about it publicly, so I kept it to myself.”

“Everyone was curious. It was clear that Cha So-hee had died, but no one knew who killed her.”

At that time, Ban Se-yeong and Jeon Se-hyuk were also having a conversation.

Visiting the official website of Eclipse had become part of their daily routine.

They couldn’t miss the hit order against Kang-hoo prominently displayed on the main page.

Ban Se-yeong was shocked.

Unlike K and Jung Yuri, who could only guess vaguely at Kang-hoo’s level, she knew his level precisely.

Simply put, he had killed two hunters whose levels were more than double his.

No, considering when Cha So-hee died, one could even guess the difference to be three to four times.

“I told you. It would be good to continue building a relationship with Mr. Kang-hoo.”

“I knew he could handle things on his own, but I didn’t expect him to be hunting down the hunting dogs like that…”

“Looking at Jin Hyo-young’s death, it seems Kang Dong-hyun tried to use a honey trap on Mr. Kang-hoo.”

“Kang Dong-hyun, the coward! Instead of fighting directly, he tried to lure him with a woman and kidnap him?”

“That’s just the kind of person he is. He’s never properly faced me either.”

Jeon Se-hyuk frowned.

It seemed to have worked out for the better.

Both Jeon Se-hyuk and Park Dong-jae, along with everyone in their circles, despised Eclipse.

This disdain only brought them closer, forming a psychological bond. Their relationship was destined to grow much closer.

Given Kang-hoo’s skills, it seemed more likely that Kang Dong-hyun would be the one to suffer in the future.

It was akin to attaching a difficult-to-remove tumor that causes more severe pain the longer it remains attached.

“Anyway, Brother Kang-hoo is really scary. I’ve come to see him in a new light. I knew he was formidable, but…”

“Probably Kang Dong-hyun wanted to somehow take him and make use of him. That’s how things ended up like this.”

“That makes sense. With Brother Kang-hoo’s skills, he’s worth coveting. Even I desperately need teamwork…”

“Hey, don’t be like that. Until recently, you were saying that our cousin brother was the best, Se-yeong.”

“The era of Jeon Se-hyuk is over. It’s the era of Shin Kang-hoo. Hohoho.”

As they joked around, their expressed valuation of Kang-hoo increased, though not overtly stated.

For Kang Dong-hyun, designating him as a public enemy of the organization was meant to show a firm resolve to eliminate him.

However, to those familiar with Kang-hoo, it seemed to increase his worth instead.

This situation might lead to mercenary requests from those who are not fond of Eclipse.

Jeon Se-hyuk thought it seemed as if Kang-hoo was playing from above Kang Dong-hyun.

“Keuk.”

That’s why he laughed.

It seemed it would become even more interesting.

Kang-hoo asked Park Dong-jae, who had just entered the dungeon,

“Can you tell me who the hunters were that went into the dungeon just before us?”

“Uh, that is…”

Park Dong-jae was still dazed, reminiscing about the notice posted by Eclipse.

But Kang-hoo continued the conversation as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.

“It seems like the notice is bothering you. Cha So-hee and Jin Hyo-young were trying to drag me to Eclipse. They were planning to kidnap me.”

“No, it’s not that. I know those two were trash! It’s just hard to believe that you killed them. They were all trained hunters. They wouldn’t have been easy enemies.”

“If you think about the training and preparation I had, it might be easier to understand.”

“Ah! Well… Yeah, that makes sense!”

“Pride is something one gives oneself.”

“Huh? Whose quote is that?”

“Study it until we meet next time. Anyway, nothing will change. Only the name people call me has changed.”

When Kang-hoo patted Park Dong-jae on the shoulder, he finally snapped back to reality and remembered Kang-hoo’s question.

“Ah! Brother Se-hyuk, and two hunters I got to know through him. I also went with Baek Seong-ho and Jang Sun-young.”

“Are you talking about the two hunters from the Myeongga Guild?”

“Yes! Do you know them?”

“Not personally, but I know their names. You’ve dealt with some high-ranking individuals.”

“I do have quite a few people I’m looking for.”

“That’s for sure.”

Park Dong-jae must indeed be skilled.

The Myeongga Guild is an elite guild, gathering hunters above level 450.

It’s a guild where hunters who are significant in their fields have gathered.

Though they don’t have a specific base, their activities span nationwide due to their wealth.

They own many dungeons, and many guilds and organizations request their collaboration.

If they specifically called for Park Dong-jae, there’s no doubt about his skills.

“How should we coordinate our movements, Hyung?”

“Do we really need to set aside time to coordinate? Let’s trust your intuition.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can check the buffs that are applied to me in my status window. I’ll fight according to that.”

“…Is that possible? To accurately calculate buffs, wouldn’t it be better to hear it from the buffer?”

“Checking the status window is part of my everyday routine.”

Kang-hoo shrugged his shoulders.

Like when playing a game.

Just as one meticulously checks the minimap for map play, Kang-hoo always monitored his own status.

It wasn’t difficult.

All it took was a glance.

For Kang-hoo, it had become routine, nothing new at all.

However, hunters who are not used to this habit, like Park Dong-jae just mentioned, rely on being notified by the buffer.

For example, “Acceleration buff 30 seconds remaining!”, “Acceleration buff 15 seconds remaining!”, and so on.

It’s convenient for those listening.

But for the buffer speaking, continuously reporting the status of all buffs can be quite annoying.

“Hyung, if I start throwing buffs like crazy, you might get completely tangled up. Are you really okay with that?”

“Then try to tangle me up. For every time you do, I’ll give you a magnetite.”

“What color mag… Ah! You have to tell me the color, Hyung!”

Kang-hoo deliberately (?) kicked off from his spot and moved forward. It was Kang-hoo’s way of playing around.

Park Dong-jae had no intention of being greedy in this dungeon, grateful to Kang-hoo for the opportunity.

He considered even having such thoughts a sin.

He planned to repay the life debt he owed to Kang-hoo like this continuously.

On the one hand, he was curious to know what kind of person Kang-hoo was. It was clear he was a skilled hunter.

The next moment.

“Uh! That’s incredible.”

A buff was immediately applied to Kang-hoo.

He almost got tangled up, just like Park Dong-jae said. The acceleration was applied incredibly fast.

The efficiency was twice that of the acceleration skill Kang-hoo possessed.

【Rush Instinct - 55 seconds】

‘Long.’

The duration of the buff was quite long.

Normally, the duration of a basic buff skill acquired or learned from a skill book was 20 seconds by default.

Only by increasing proficiency could the duration be extended.

With that duration, it’s highly likely that the proficiency is at its maximum or near it, meaning it was used tens of thousands of times.

And then.

Whoosh!

It felt as if the view of the world opened up anew, with a heightened focus on visual information.

This was also a buff.

【Mental Focus – 53 seconds】

【Strategic Control - 39 seconds】

Mental Focus significantly increases the receptiveness to visual information entering the field of vision.

Strategic Control filters out unnecessary information, such as insignificant pebbles on the ground.

In other words, it’s a buff that ensures you can clearly see only what needs to be seen, and the effect was distinctly felt.

It felt like when eating Mad Solarkium, experiencing the world differently.

‘Insane.’

An exclamation naturally came out.

Park Dong-jae is still a growing buffer, and like Kang-hoo, he has plenty of room to grow.

If he’s already impressive enough to warrant such an expression, there’s no need to discuss his future potential.

Just then.

From behind, Park Dong-jae’s voice, filled with eagerness, reached him.

“Hyung, how is it? The buff’s killer, right? Everyone comes looking for me for this taste. How about it? Are your hands itching?”

Then, Kang-hoo grinned and shouted back at Park Dong-jae.

“Yeah, let’s die together!”

That was when Park Dong-jae should have realized.

What happens to the person trying to keep up with a horse that’s been given wings to fly…

The rampage of Kang-hoo, now properly winged, began from that moment.