Chapter 209: Chapter 208: One Standing Out Among The Crowd (3)

Kang-hoo didn’t insist on taking the left route simply because he could farm during the dark period.

Even during the briefing, they had mentioned that choosing the left route would reduce the travel distance by more than half.

However, since there were many specter-type monsters on that path, it was naturally avoided…

From Kang-hoo’s perspective, who could utilize the dark period, they weren’t an impossible target.

He was just going to ignore it if there was no gain from the dark period, but from the start, prey appeared.

The monster’s name was Dark Knight.

Though the naming was as simple as it looked like an ordinary monster, it was definitely one that would aid in his growth during the dark period.

“I’ll clear the way. Just handle the non-specter monsters. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Will you be okay?”

“If you don’t trust me, just watch and judge for yourself. Alright, I’m off.”

Before the words even fully left his mouth, Kang-hoo’s body shot forward like a spring.

Though it’s a universal truth that assassins are fast, Kang-hoo’s movements were far quicker than the three had expected.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

While Miyuki was absentmindedly watching Kang-hoo’s back, Eto asked from the side.

“Captain, what are you thinking about?”

“Just… I was wondering how it would feel if I had to face that hunter as an enemy.”

Imaginary sparring was a common form of image training for many hunters.

It’s like how professionals, after a game of Go, casually review the process and refine their thoughts.

Skilled hunters could watch the movements of their comrades, acquaintances, or partners and easily envision a virtual battle.

“What’s the conclusion?”

“I’d like to say I could win because of the level difference. But honestly, I don’t think it would be possible.”

Just as Miyuki’s candid review ended, a thud sound accompanied the death of the Dark Knight.

Kang-hoo’s deadly decapitation strike from behind had severed the monster’s head.

“If he can handle the dark period like that, he’s bound to be even more dangerous. Really… amazing.”

“I heard he was an unknown hunter in Korea not long ago. How did he change so quickly?”

“No idea. He could’ve had an epiphany or lucked into some unusual ability. Or…”

“Or what?”

“Well, maybe he’s a time traveler from the future like in novels, or maybe he’s an author who entered his own story.”

“Heh. I had a feeling you’ve been reading a lot of novels lately. Your imagination’s getting wild, Captain.”

“It’s just that nothing else makes sense. Honestly, don’t you think it would only make sense if you put it like that?”

“True, it does.”

In the brief time they were talking, five more Dark Knights had died.

These were beings that could only be killed during the dark period. That’s why the three of them couldn’t even touch them!

But Kang-hoo had already taken down six. As expected, he didn’t seem particularly moved by the result.

“I’m so jealous… If I could handle special stats like that, the range of monsters I could deal with would change drastically.”

Miyuki pouted her lips.

She was full of envy for Kang-hoo, who possessed so much that she didn’t.

That’s how rare and valuable the dark period or divine power stats were compared to regular stats.

Even after facing multiple specter-type monsters, he wasn’t showing any signs of fatigue, which indicated that his stats were quite abundant.

If not, then he had a fast recovery rate. Either way, there was no end to her envy.

And then.

Krrreeeeek!

Another Dark Knight fell in the distance.

It seemed Kang-hoo had fully warmed up.

In a short time, Kang-hoo had raised his dark period stats by 3 points. He hadn’t spent much time, nor had he exerted much effort.

It was all thanks to the second perk of the Great Calamity – the Dark Constellation, which made it easy to find monsters that provided the dark period.

It felt like hunting monsters in a game where you already know which ones will drop items.

It felt great.

The dark period stat had now reached 449.

Since the dungeon was currently in ‘night’ mode, the recovery speed of the dark period was doubled due to the ‘Seven Nights’ skill.

Feeling that everything was going well from the start, his body felt much lighter.

Kang-hoo didn’t have any particular superstitions, but dungeons that started well always seemed to end well too.

Afterward.

The party that chose the left route advanced with a two-track approach.

Kang-hoo kept sniping the specter-type monsters, while the other three dealt with the rest of the monsters.

Although the path was short, the high monster density significantly increased their experience gain.

Perhaps due to the special nature of the enhanced dungeon, their level also increased.

They had already leveled up once before encountering the middle boss monster.

Had this been a regular dungeon…

They probably would’ve only gained about half as much experience, which would’ve left them at level 225.5, and even that would’ve seemed like a lot.

To confirm, Kang-hoo asked Miyuki about the middle boss monster.

“That’s the middle boss, right?”

Middle boss, shortened to ‘mid-boss.’

Miyuki nodded.

“Yes. It’s the Blut Duke. Blut means ‘blood’ in German, so the name has some meaning.”

“The outfit lives up to the name.”

Standing before them was the Blut Duke, dressed in full aristocratic attire reminiscent of a medieval noble.

It was a mage-type monster whose specialty was ‘Blink.’ In other words, it was adept at short-distance teleportation.

However, there was one more trick up its sleeve—it frequently used the ‘Blood Drain’ skill.

Because of that, some hunters from the Rikou Guild had previously been killed when their blood was drained by the Blut Duke.

As it drained their blood, the Blut Duke gained vitality, while the hunters died from shock. It was incredibly tricky to deal with.

Once bitten, it seemed nearly impossible to escape due to the fangs.

At that moment.

Rumble!

The Blut Duke, having detected the presence of an intruder, stretched both hands forward and formed a seal.

It was a pre-attack movement.

Then, numerous magical spheres appeared above the magic circle, and smoke began to rise.

“Hah!”

Eto shouted as he forcefully raised his shield to block the front.

It wasn’t an ordinary block; a golden radiant shield with a divine aura emerged.

The range was vast, and its sturdiness was impressive enough to make Kang-hoo admire its durability.

Bang bang bang!

Although many magic spheres struck the shield in quick succession, Eto’s shield held up beautifully.

An Yeong-ho supported Eto’s stamina, as the shield’s defense skill consumed stamina.

Meanwhile, Miyuki, who had created multiple spears of fire, hid behind Eto and launched a surprise magical attack.

True to her role as a hunter specializing in single-target strategies, the magic shot forward like a massive fire dragon.

However.

Zap! Pop!

The Blut Duke, who could freely use Blink, easily escaped the scene.

The evasion was so quick that it made Miyuki’s effort seem in vain. She even sighed, “Ah,” in frustration.

But she quickly regained her composure and spoke as if advising Kang-hoo.

“Since his movements are fast, we should slowly close in and find an angle… huh?”

She naturally turned her gaze to where Kang-hoo was supposed to be, but he wasn’t there.

“Yeong-ho, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Where did Kang-hoo go?”

“He was behind me… huh? What the?”

It was only then that everyone realized Kang-hoo had disappeared without a sound. They had no idea when he had vanished.

Kang-hoo was already moving in a wide arc.

He had noticed that Eto’s shield skill was flashy, and the reactions from the magic collisions were accelerating.

Because of this, the Blut Duke hadn’t noticed Kang-hoo sneaking around in stealth mode.

‘All I need is to get close once. Guys like him tend to over-rely on their evasion skills.’

He had a plan.

Why doesn’t Kang-hoo fear death when facing stronger enemies?

It’s because he has the psychological ‘insurance’ of being able to escape the scene using his teleportation ability if needed.

Kang-hoo believed that the Blut Duke was also confident in battle because of his Blink ability.

Therefore, he was sure that if he could counter Blink, he could create a significant opening.

As the distance between Kang-hoo and the Blut Duke narrowed to within 15 meters…

“Heh.”

The Blut Duke, realizing Kang-hoo’s presence, grinned as he looked at him. It was a smile that said, “Even if you approach, what can you do?”

He lightly clasped his hands together.

It was the pre-movement before using the Blink skill—what’s called casting.

But then.

“What?!”

His face turned ashen.

Blink didn’t activate. More precisely, it wasn’t that it failed, but the activation itself was blocked.

By then, Kang-hoo had already closed the gap and was ready to deliver a decapitation strike with his dagger.

The Blut Duke still had a moment to respond. He could have used a defensive skill.

But.

‘Just as I thought.’

As Kang-hoo expected, the Blut Duke attempted to use Blink again. He must have thought his casting was sloppy the first time.

What’s the price of misjudgment?

It’s the lost time.

And in a battlefield, lost time brings you closer to the agony of death.

Thud!

“Aaargh!”

Kang-hoo’s decapitation strike pierced the left side of the Blut Duke’s chest. Even Kang-hoo was surprised by how deeply the dagger lodged.

Of course, due to the monster’s nature, it didn’t result in instant death. However, it was undoubtedly a critical hit.

As Kang-hoo prepared to pull out the dagger and strike again…

“Kuhhk!”

The Blut Duke attempted to use Blood Drain, so Kang-hoo quickly leaped back, propelling himself to escape.

Though delivering another hit was important, what was more crucial was avoiding taking one himself.

“As expected, fools are easy to handle.”

Kang-hoo smiled as he looked at the Blut Duke, who was clutching his chest in pain.

Of course, it wasn’t that the Blut Duke was truly foolish, but he had fallen prey to Kang-hoo’s ploy.

The issue was that the Blut Duke had been overly reliant on his main skill, Blink, believing it was infallible.

He was so immersed in that belief that Kang-hoo’s constellation perk, which suppressed spatial movement skills, shattered that overconfidence.

【Fifth, within a 15-meter radius, I can suppress the use of spatial movement skills by 99% for anyone other than myself. However, skills that open a pathway between spaces or distort a confined space are not suppressed.】

Kang-hoo proudly checked his constellation perk again.

It had been a partial counter against Kenji, but it was a complete counter against the Blut Duke.

And it would also serve as a counter to ‘spatial + swordsman-type’ hunters like Chae Gwanhyeong, who frequently used the Blink skill.

Kang-hoo was certain that if he ever faced Chae Gwanhyeong in the future, this perk would shine.

Meanwhile.

Not long after the battle had started, the moment they saw the Blut Duke struck down by Kang-hoo’s decapitation attack…

The remaining three, who had been dealing with the magic attacks and watching the scene, were shocked.

An unbelievable sight had unfolded.

Up until just now, the Blut Duke had easily evaded attacks using Blink, as if toying with them.

But with Kang-hoo, he hadn’t used Blink. No, he clearly couldn’t use it.

In that case…

“Does that mean there’s something that suppresses spatial movement?”

The conclusion veered in a different direction.

Was it really right to label Kang-hoo with just the title of ‘assassin’?

Though none of them voiced it first, all three were thinking the same thing in their hearts.