Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Skill Abundance (1)

‘Must I kill my opponent as well?’

【The Black Hypocrite and I are mortal enemies. Therefore, the same test is given to their contractor.】

‘So, does my opponent know about me?’

【Hehe. You're underestimating me. No, he won't know about you until he faces you directly.】

‘Then please provide me with information about the opponent. It’s the most basic information needed for the test.’

【Will you accept the test?】

‘Of course.’

Kang-hoo nodded.

It was a test to gain more power from the Seeker of Blackness, not any other constellation. There was no reason to refuse.

Upon Kang-hoo’s agreement, the Seeker of Blackness displayed the face and name of the target.

【Contractor: Bang Seong-hoon】

‘A pseudonym, perhaps. Well, it’s not surprising.’

A familiar face appeared.

The name confirmed through the constellation was certainly the real name registered in the system.

The opponent named Bang Seong-hoon was currently ranked 8th in the Eclipse organization, and his real name was Go Kyung-ho.

The reason Kang-hoo recognized his face instantly was that Go Kyung-ho was the second most well-known face in Eclipse after Kang Dong-hyun.

Being well-known also meant he was the most despicable kind of person.

Go Kyung-ho was heavily involved in many of the kidnappings and smuggling operations initiated by Eclipse.

Thus, hunters often referred to Go Kyung-ho as Kang Dong-hyun’s ‘enforcer’ because he took on all sorts of dirty work.

According to the original storyline, his level would be in the high 300s by now.

‘Let’s just keep an eye on him for now. There’s plenty of justification for killing someone like Go Kyung-ho, but victory is another matter.’

Kang-hoo decided to approach cautiously.

Not only was Go Kyung-ho formidable, but targeting him alone was also challenging.

He needed to plan carefully and wait for the right moment to strike. He also had to be prepared to face his guards.

Of course, the motivation was clear.

Eclipse itself was a group of villains, so eliminating them would also be an act of justice.

Furthermore, passing the Seeker of Blackness’s test would mean gaining the power of the Black Hypocrite constellation.

【There's no rush. Do it when you're ready. I will watch and wait with pleasure.】

‘I understand clearly.’

Ranked 8th in Eclipse, Go Kyung-ho.

Kang-hoo had received his first direct ‘murder request’ from a constellation. And it wasn’t an easy target.

Later.

Thanks to Park Dong-jae’s concession, Kang-hoo managed to gather quite a few items from the fake bride.

Including the items taken from the hunters he had previously killed, the loot was even more valuable.

Estimating conservatively, he felt he could secure at least 35 billion won once everything was cashed out.

Since there were no items that Kang-hoo could use, he decided to sell everything once he left the dungeon.

However, Park Dong-jae showed interest in some of the items and proposed buying them all from Kang-hoo.

From Kang-hoo’s perspective, whether he sold them on the market or to Park Dong-jae, the outcome was the same in terms of cashing out.

So, he handed everything over to Park Dong-jae, and they agreed to settle the payment once they were out of the dungeon where electronic transactions were possible.

Park Dong-jae immediately equipped some of the items, and he seemed very satisfied, likely because his mana had increased significantly.

Mana items were meaningless to Kang-hoo, but for a buffer like Park Dong-jae, they were the best options.

‘With the addition of the proceeds from selling these items, I feel like I’ll have around 175 billion won.’

Seeing his growing balance, greed started to set in. With just a bit more, he could reach a balance of 200 billion won.

That would be enough to acquire two 2nd-grade items, allowing him to invest in other equipment.

However.

Looking further ahead, another thought occurred to him.

Why not save even more to aim for a 1st-grade item instead?

It was a matter of choice.

Should he aim to upgrade all his equipment to 2nd grade, or focus on acquiring one definitive weapon?

Kang-hoo pondered various possibilities in this happy dilemma.

He didn’t think he would reach a conclusion anytime soon.

After some time.

While diligently searching for a mid-boss monster, Kang-hoo and Park Dong-jae finally found their target.

The monster named Lupes had a body as hard as rock.

It felt like a moving statue. Another description that fit was a ‘rock golem.’

“Hyung. How about we just pass by this one? It seems like a dagger won’t even scratch it.”

“Disappointing, Park Dong-jae.”

“Huh? Ah! I wasn’t underestimating you, hyung. It just seems tough to deal with! I wasn’t disregarding you at all!”

“That’s even more disappointing.”

“Ugh…”

“Rocks aren’t meant to be smashed. They’re meant to be shattered.”

Kang-hoo’s mysterious smile made Park Dong-jae tilt his head in confusion.

Park Dong-jae’s reaction was typical. Kang-hoo was also deliberately being playful.

There are three main types of monsters that hunters avoid. The top type is the statue kind.

This is because they inherently resist physical attacks.

Of course, if the level or strength is low, they often can’t withstand attacks and break.

But for a boss monster like Lupes, it’s a different story entirely.

It doesn’t get pierced, and stabbing it does nothing. Making it explode or shatter? Nearly impossible.

That’s why Park Dong-jae suggested not wasting energy and looking for another monster.

“Trust me. Just keep a safe distance and support me. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Got it.”

“I’m going.”

Kang-hoo immediately charged at Lupes.

Lupes, noticing the approach, glared at Kang-hoo and raised both arms in a guard position.

In the next moment.

Siiing!

One of the special abilities granted by the Strategist of the Wasteland, ‘Intuition,’ activated.

Intuition had been quite effective when facing Jung Sun-rak and the multinational mercenary group before.

Back then, it had allowed him to detect and evade the sniper’s shots, not getting hit even once.

This ability was now being applied to Lupes as well.

Before Lupes could deliver a powerful punch, there was a targeting process. It was a sort of precision aiming.

‘I can find a faster way than Plan A.’

Recognizing Lupes’s traits, Kang-hoo modified his plan.

And then.

Whooosh!

Kang-hoo effortlessly dodged Lupes’s punch by utilizing accelerated movement.

He didn’t use a swift evasion or lateral movement skill but moved his body directly to dodge.

With the acceleration buff and selfish indulgence in place, such high-speed evasion maneu.

“I’m going.”

Kang-hoo immediately charged at Lupes.

Lupes, noticing the approach, glared at Kang-hoo and raised both arms in a guard position.

In the next moment.

Siiing!

One of the special abilities granted by the Strategist of the Wasteland, ‘Intuition,’ activated.

Intuition had been quite effective when facing Jung Sun-rak and the multinational mercenary group before.

Back then, it had allowed him to detect and evade the sniper’s shots, not getting hit even once.

This ability was now being applied to Lupes as well.

Before Lupes could deliver a powerful punch, there was a targeting process. It was a sort of precision aiming.

‘I can find a faster way than Plan A.’

Recognizing Lupes’s traits, Kang-hoo modified his plan.

And then.

Whooosh!

Kang-hoo effortlessly dodged Lupes’s punch by utilizing accelerated movement.

He didn’t use a swift evasion or lateral movement skill but moved his body directly to dodge.

With the acceleration buff and selfish indulgence in place, such high-speed evasion maneuvers were possible.

Although his body was heavily burdened, it was an acceptable pressure in the early stages of the battle.

Lupes’s eyes quickly turned red, a sign of his rising anger.

As Kang-hoo engaged in the battle, he quickly assessed the surroundings and started luring Lupes.

He continued to evade Lupes’s powerful punch attacks again and again.

Using illusion techniques, he scattered illusions everywhere, dismantling them instantly to create a smokescreen effect.

As a result, their peripheral vision was increasingly obscured by the haze, allowing them to focus more on each other.

Lupes was slower in movement than Kang-hoo had anticipated.

Hence, Lupes’s attacks targeting Kang-hoo repeatedly failed, and he became even more enraged, attacking more aggressively.

Evasion, evasion, and more evasion.

Kang-hoo’s body was almost within reach, but Lupes’s attacks continued to miss, driving him into a fury.

It was like seeing a mosquito buzzing around your ear but not being able to catch it.

Enraged by the hunt he couldn’t give up, Lupes lunged at Kang-hoo with the intent to crush him.

With his massive body, it seemed like a reasonable choice to squash Kang-hoo.

However, there was a problem.

The battlefield, obscured by the smokescreen, had a cliff at its edge.

From the moment the battle began, Kang-hoo had continuously hidden the end of the path using the illusion smokescreen.

Chichichiching!

Lupes desperately tried to slow down, barely keeping his feet on the ground.

But at the perfect moment, Kang-hoo moved laterally and collided with Lupes at full strength.

Boom!

That was the end.

Lupes, unable to control his already unstable balance, was pushed over the edge.

What remained was the empty air with no place to step.

Lupes fell from the high cliff, dying instantly.

Just as Kang-hoo had said, Lupes was shattered. It was a meticulously calculated ‘suicide.’

From Lupes’s corpse, a list of skills to be looted appeared, and the choice was made immediately.

【Petrification】

【Skill Proficiency: Lv. Max】

【Consumes 10 mana per second to temporarily transform the front of your body into solid stone.

However, movement speed decreases to 10% of its original speed during the transformation.】

【Additional durability proportional to defense stats and a base physical resistance of 15%.】

Examining the detailed tooltip, Kang-hoo concluded that its durability far exceeded that of a protective barrier.

Moreover, although movement speed was restricted, spatial movement skills were not suppressed.

This meant that skills like rapid evasion or leap could still be used in combination.

Using the highly increased defense of the body like a shield, it was possible to charge at the enemy.

‘An assassin that can also tank? Truly… a terrifying hybrid, even by my standards.’

He laughed incredulously.

In truth, it was a laugh born of sheer joy.

The key traits of an assassin, as Kang-hoo saw it, were stealth and versatility.

From that perspective, being able to adopt the advantages of other professions like a chameleon was… an enormous strength.

Breaking common sense and creating unpredictability was the best choice, and it was devastating to the opponent.

“Hyung, I’m sorry! I couldn’t step back in time, so I didn’t get all the experience. You took it all.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t share the strategy, so it’s natural. There wasn’t enough time to notify you.”

“That was amazing! Only you could set up such a trap. If it were me, I would have peed myself at the cliff’s edge.”

“These types are difficult to control and stop once they start moving. That’s why it’s hard for them to stop once they get going.”

“I feel embarrassed for suggesting we avoid it.”

“Watch carefully. There are no monsters we can’t catch. If you think intensely about a method, the answer will definitely come.”

“Respect! Pure admiration!”

Park Dong-jae raised both his thumbs towards Kang-hoo.

They couldn’t retrieve any loot from Lupes, who had fallen.

But for Kang-hoo, gaining the skill ‘Petrification’ was already a significant achievement.

He foresaw many future uses for the Petrification skill. Its strategic value was very high.

Afterward.

Kang-hoo and Park Dong-jae continued to move forward and hunted two more mid-boss monsters.

The two additional skills they acquired were also high-value skills, like the one they got from Lupes.

【Sturdy Stacking】

【Survival Instinct】

Indeed.

It was a skill-rich season.