Chapter 169: Chapter 170: Mystery Dungeon (1)

At that moment,

Takashi was receiving a call from the Rikou Guild.

Due to using a voice modulator, his voice sounded quite comical.

It was exactly the kind of voice you’d expect from a whistleblower appearing on a news report with their face covered.

However, in stark contrast to his modulated voice and the cheerful demeanor of his doppelgänger,

Takashi’s expression, focused on the call, was more serious than ever.

His deeply sunken dark circles only accentuated his somber appearance.

He glanced at the enormous stack of paper coffee cups, the number of which was hard to discern.

Finally, he began to respond to the call that he had only been listening to.

“So, a hunter named Shin Kang-hoo wants to meet me.”

-That’s correct. He’s a hunter we’ve been wanting to meet for a while, and now he’s eager to get the chance.

“I don’t know this hunter at all.”

-That’s why we’re asking carefully.

Takashi scratched his greasy hair. He opened the laptop right next to him.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

His fingers moved quickly as he typed in Kang-hoo’s name and searched for information.

He wasn’t using a search engine but a program he had built himself.

In no time, information about Kang-hoo was displayed, revealing some interesting news.

“Hmm.”

-How does it look? We will pay for the meeting.

“The Rikou Guild paying for a meeting requested by Hunter Shin Kang-hoo… that’s quite interesting.”

-He’s a rather important guest.

“Money is not an issue. Let’s meet. Meeting new people is always fun.”

-Understood. We’ll reconfirm the schedule and let you know. Thank you.

“Sure. Take care.”

The call ended.

Takashi carefully examined the information about Kang-hoo.

Although involved in a few peculiar incidents, he didn’t seem like an extraordinary hunter.

He was involved in a few notable accidents and incidents, but not someone the Rikou Guild would be so deferential to.

Most likely, he was either close to a guild executive or someone related to a person who owed their life.

“The latter, I’d guess.”

Takashi roughly surmised.

Anyway, the Rikou Guild wouldn’t offer special treatment to just anyone, so he must be someone special.

However.

“I wonder what he wants to do with me.”

That was what puzzled Takashi.

Why would someone with a poor public image like himself want to meet in person, traveling all the way to Japan?

Simple queries could be solved through secure messages or personal emails within the Hunter Gram.

“Well, no need to rush. The one who’s thirsty should dig the well first, right? But the water…”

Talking about thirst, his cup was empty. Opening the fridge, he found the last bottle of water had already been consumed.

“Ha…”

Takashi sighed.

His doppelgänger was still in Korea.

To buy bottled water, he’d have to go out… but he was as fearful of direct human interaction as he was of seeing a cockroach.

And since this place was far from bustling areas or downtown, delivery wasn’t an option.

“Tap water…”

He thought he’d have to find another way to quench his thirst in a hurry.

It was inconvenient without his doppelgänger.

Late at night, Kang-hoo met Park Dong-jae as scheduled.

He had also successfully wrapped up his conversation with Jeon Se-hyuk. They would be collaborating soon.

Their target was Eclipse.

Jeon Se-hyuk was boldly planning to target one of Eclipse’s hideouts.

Among them was a place connected to ‘Go Kyung-ho,’ someone Kang-hoo was also after.

“Hyung! Why so busy?”

“Busy? I’m way early for our appointment.”

“No, I mean you were meeting Se-hyuk hyung earlier. And before that, weren’t you in Busan?”

“I managed my time well.”

“Hyung, sometimes you seem to manage time down to the second. It’s scary.”

“It’s good it’s only sometimes.”

Kang-hoo chuckled.

It was true he tried not to waste any time.

He had a lot to do and many goals to chase.

“Cha So-hyuk. He’s still in Daejeon. Seems like he can’t pinpoint your location.”

“Since I have ties with the Cheong-an Mercenary Corps, it seems he’s setting up shop over there.”

He remembered the twin gunners he had killed before.

They must have been in a similar situation.

With his widespread movements and lack of affiliation, it was impossible to pin him down to a specific region.

So, the only place they could frequent was the Cheong-an Mercenary Corps, narrowing the search to Daejeon.

That’s why they were stationed there.

Cha So-hee received extensive support and information sharing from other organizations at the Eclipse Guild level.

However, Cha So-hyuk couldn’t expect that, so he would likely continue to suffer around the clock for the time being.

“Since he’s not very sensitive, collecting information won’t be difficult. Leave the marking to me, hyung.”

“Did you get any rest?”

“Yeah. Got it cheaply. Don’t worry, you don’t have to burden yourself.”

“Thanks a lot.”

“I still have a long way to repay my life debt. Let’s work hard to pay it back!”

Kang-hoo appreciated Park Dong-jae’s modesty, far from boasting.

If he had gone on about how much he was doing for Kang-hoo, it would have been different.

A person’s true worth comes out in the smallest details. In that sense, Park Dong-jae was a good guy.

“What about the dungeon?”

“Secured. Just need to move. Shall we do a quick test before we go?”

“Is there enough space near the dungeon for that?”

“Yeah. I’ve arranged everything. Hyung, you’re not feeling pressured, right? You look a bit stiff.”

“It’s not pressure, just curiosity about what kind of people they are.”

Hunters from the Myeongga Guild.

Known for their elite small team, this guild was stronger than expected.

Even Eclipse’s reckless hunters wouldn’t dare touch Myeongga Guild members.

The guild’s first rule was that if you touch one member, the whole guild will chase you to hell for revenge!

Because of this well-known fact, no one dared mess with Myeongga Guild members.

There were cases where people falsely claimed to be Myeongga Guild members.

In such cases, the revenge was even more severe than touching the actual guild members.

The basic punishment was ‘disappearance.’

Not a single hunter who impersonated a Myeongga Guild member was ever seen again.

“Let’s go, hyung. Everyone is waiting.”

“Dong-jae, you’ve worked hard. Thanks to you, we’re going to the mystery dungeon.”

“Of course, you deserve it. Let’s go! Everyone’s waiting for the protagonist!”

The location of the mystery dungeon was much more hidden than Kang-hoo had expected.

It was in the basement of an old apartment building abandoned due to the construction company’s bankruptcy during construction.

Even in the basement, it could only be seen by crawling through a collapsed wall.

More curious than the process of getting there was how they even knew there was a dungeon entrance here.

As Park Dong-jae mentioned, there was an open space near the apartment suitable for skill demonstrations.

Three hunters from the Myeongga Guild had already arrived on-site. They were today’s companions.

The three people facing Kang-hoo introduced themselves.

“Hello. I am Jang Tae-jin, the younger brother of Guild Master Jang Sun-young and a Qigong Master.”

“I’m Shin Kang-hoo.”

Qigong Master.

He had faced this class before against Jung Seon-rak.

The roots of Qigong Masters are in China. Therefore, Jang Tae-jin might have studied there.

Examining the constellation information, the contracts were made to help with energy sensing, fitting the Qigong Master’s traits.

“Hello. I’m Choi Ho-soo. I was gathering strength earlier, so I might look a bit off.”

“I’m Shin Kang-hoo. Impressive.”

Next was Choi Ho-soo. He didn’t mention his class, but it was evident.

He was a werewolf.

He would likely play the tank role in this team. His large build already indicated that.

And finally.

“Hello? I’m Yeon Su-ah. A Shaman.”

“I’m Shin Kang-hoo. It’s my first time seeing a Shaman class.”

“Hehe. It’s not common… right?”

The woman named Yeon Su-ah was a Shaman.

Qigong Master, Werewolf, Shaman.

All rare classes. They weren’t deeply covered in the original work either.

They were mentioned briefly without much detail.

The composition was good.

Adding Park Dong-jae to these three would complete the team, covering both melee and ranged attacks.

The Shaman would act as both buffer and debuffer while handling ranged attacks with various spells.

The Qigong Master would provide strong burst damage.

The Werewolf would handle tanking and close combat, leaving no gaps.

‘Dong-jae must have really sold me well.’

Kang-hoo looked at Park Dong-jae, who seemed proud and was busy surveying the dungeon surroundings.

It seemed like they were curious about Kang-hoo because of Park Dong-jae’s enthusiastic promotion rather than a dire need.

Nevertheless, finding a skilled assassin was challenging.

Moreover, as a burst damage dealer, Kang-hoo was a valuable additional option.

Everyone’s reactions were positive.

The subsequent conversation was about the news that people who knew Kang-hoo encountered first.

Indeed, the incident with Eclipse served as an effective self-promotion.

Once he had a decisive fight with Jeon Se-hyuk, his name would rise further.

The repeated praise was something Kang-hoo had heard so many times that he let it wash over him.

Not because he disrespected their compliments, but because the content was always the same.

After the pleasant time of acknowledgment ended.

Kang-hoo stood in the center of the open space, gripping a dagger and preparing for the skill demonstration.

Park Dong-jae spoke.

“Hyung! How will you demonstrate? Need help?”

“No, it’s better to show it as it is. Buffs aren’t always on.”

Kang-hoo shook his head.

For the opponent to accurately evaluate the skill, no additional conditions should be attached.

Kang-hoo wanted them to assess him based on his pure skill.

He added.

“I’ll link all the skills I use in one go. Please watch closely.”

Jang Tae-jin, Choi Ho-soo, Yeon Su-ah, and Park Dong-jae all focused their attention on Kang-hoo.

As Park Dong-jae described, ‘He handles everything himself,’ the assassin.

They wanted to see with their own eyes if the hype was real.

They were all level 400 and above, seasoned veteran hunters.

They had enough experience to judge someone’s abilities coldly. And of course, Kang-hoo was no exception.