The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

Chapter 371: Forest Of Mists (4)

He solidly pocketed 105 Dark Energy from the Mongdal Tree.

It was a pity that he could use the Conviction of Pluto only once a day, but of course it felt great to inflate the rewards.

‘Sanctuary Designation is far better than I’d imagined.’

Until just before using the Sanctuary Designation option, Kang-hoo had been half-doubtful.

There was an explanation, but he had wondered whether it would really make it so that no Dark Energy could affect him.

Just in case it was breached, he had also been ready to unfold the Wall of Integrity.

With his master and Ju Haemi behind him, he had to be prepared to defend with full force. It was a kind of insurance.

But, making those slight worries pointless, every Dark Energy attack from the Mongdal Tree was blocked at the sanctuary’s outer border.

It wasn’t a matter of either being annihilated while trying to force its way through, or finally piercing it with overwhelming Dark Energy.

The moment it touched the sanctuary, it vanished.

There was no need to weigh the hierarchy of power. The gap was so huge there was no point judging it.

Like a moth charging into a flame and turning to nothing without a trace, that was exactly how the Dark Energy spears were.

‘An amusing picture comes to mind.’

He pictured several combat scenarios that used the sanctuary.

Especially against hunters who could freely wield Dark Energy—Vincent Meyer, for a nearby example.

He could momentarily transform into a massed Dark Energy aggregate with no physical substance.

In that state, physical attacks merely cut empty air, and even a magic round would pass through and leave things as if nothing had happened.

It was similar to Jung Yuri’s ability.

Of course, since it was a far more developed form of the skill than hers, he was a very troublesome opponent.

If he used Sanctuary Designation then, at the very least Vincent wouldn’t be able to approach while in the aggregate state, and depending on the situation, he could even set up a play to take the bastard’s life in return. It made strategic dueling possible.

‘This North Korea training has had sky-high satisfaction right from the start. As expected, my master’s experience, years, and intel can’t be ignored.’

It had only been an opening skirmish to raise the curtain, but his curiosity was already stirred a lot.

North Korea, where what he didn’t know vastly outweighed what he did. Even to Jang Si-hwan, this land was unknown.

The more he learned through his master, the more he would be able to “eat” by himself beyond that guy.

Feeling as if he stood at a starting line far out ahead, Kang-hoo’s mood lifted along with it.

Watching someone else grow one-sidedly stung, but the thrill of growing alone was sweet and intoxicating.

With a dependable ally called “Master” as well, he planned to fully squeeze everything out of North Korea this time.

Break time.

Although this was the appointed slot when they were supposed to also take turns with the meal prep—

“Let me do it today.”

Kang-hoo volunteered to cook himself.

It wasn’t an out-of-the-blue challenge; he had a recipe he wanted to try based on memories of the original work.

In the original, it had been covered in a side episode titled .

The content was simple.

Among the animal and plant monsters they would face north of Ground Zero, which ones were edible and which weren’t, and among those, which specific animals and plants made for the tastiest ingredients.

Ingredients whose safety was guaranteed.

With those, and a bit of seasoning he had prepared in advance, he cooked up a “monster meat soup.”

Spoken in full it sounded a bit odd, but shortened, it was simply meat soup. Nothing beat it for restoring vigor.

Munch, munch. Yum, yum.

The Celestial Assassin and Ju Haemi chewed at length and savored the meat soup and its contents that Kang-hoo had carefully boiled.

Since the Celestial Assassin was notorious for his picky palate, he was a little tense that harsh words might hit him in the face.

“It’s delicious. On site, this could pass as a substitute for regular beef soup. At this level, it’s on par with beef.”

“Does it suit your taste?”

“I was about to scold you outright for stealing Haemi’s chance to show her touch, but... at this level, I suppose we can let Haemi rest from time to time.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“Don’t thank me. If it’s bad next time, I’ll lay into you first, so steel your mind for that.”

No sooner had the words ended than the Celestial Assassin lifted his spoon—clearly how he behaved when facing tasty food.

Kang-hoo felt proud.

So this was why people cooked for those close to them, he thought.

Just watching someone enjoy the food he made gave him a sense of being recognized.

“Mmm, it’s really good.”

With Ju Haemi’s praise layered on top, his shoulders squared with pride.

He felt that gripping a knife for culinary purposes rather than killing had been a pretty meaningful use of time.

Then—

As if something had come to mind, the Celestial Assassin shifted the topic.

“Haemi is practicing heightening her sensitivity in areas with a high distribution of Dark Energy.”

“Is there interference?”

“Mm. Haemi’s ‘sight’ isn’t secured well in Dark Energy zones. In our case, it’s like there’s fog.”

“Ah...”

“In any case, she’s not just staring blankly from the back; she’s training in her own way, so don’t take it weird.”

“I wasn’t thinking otherwise.”

“That’s why, you brat—if such a thought does occur to you, don’t entertain it. Are you slyly talking back to your master?”

“I’m sorry.”

“And you take it that straight... tch, what a boring fellow. Haemi, didn’t I tell you? This guy’s got not even a speck of fun in him—except for his skill.”

“Hohoho.”

Seeing Ju Haemi only answer with a laugh, Kang-hoo also let out an awkward chuckle. It wasn’t wrong, after all.

“Be the cook from time to time. Your taste is stimulating in a different way from Haemi’s, so I’ll use it as a change of pace now and then.”

“Yes, Master. If you order it, I’ll do it anytime.”

It would be nice to have an actual Cooking skill, too.

He didn’t have that, so he figured he’d just have to keep practicing cooking diligently whenever he had a spare moment.

After the meal.

Ju Haemi settled at a suitable spot and began the sensitivity training the Celestial Assassin had mentioned.

To help his digestion, Kang-hoo came forward to the front line for a walk with the Celestial Assassin.

His view was open, and since there were no hostile plants around, it was a path they could stroll without worry.

【Corrupted Undertaker】

【You can pinpoint the location of any dead hunter within a 250 m radius.】

Meanwhile, ever since coming here, Kang-hoo had continually been using the power of the constellation Corrupted Undertaker.

It was the constellation he had robbed after killing the fake bride in an open-type dungeon.

Normally, there wasn’t much use for it, but in places where there were likely many dead hunters’ bodies, its value skyrocketed.

Like here.

North of Ground Zero, it was rare for dead hunters to be properly recovered and sent back.

That had been the case with Park Min-sung’s remains that Kang-hoo had recovered before, too.

If Kang-hoo hadn’t had reason to go to where his body lay?

Ganiere and Melissa would still not know whether their son was dead or alive.

Because of the geographic peculiarities, this was a place where dead hunters’ bodies were sometimes discovered only much later.

So, just in case, Kang-hoo had been continually using the constellation’s ability.

It consumed mana continuously, but thanks to Mana Hyper-Sensitivity canceling it out, it wasn’t a big problem.

Then—

【The Corrupted Undertaker has found the location of a dead hunter. It smacks its lips, saying it senses vicious yin energy.】

【The Corrupted Undertaker wants to “peep” at the corpse of the dead hunter. It needs the contractor’s gaze.】

‘You psycho.’

It wasn’t a constellation with its head screwed on straight, but the power was handy, so he had to play along for now.

He asked the Celestial Assassin for leave.

“Master, a moment.”

“Mm?”

“There’s somewhere I need to go. Please wait here a bit.”

“Going to take a leak?”

“Well...”

“Did you spot a corpse or something? It doesn’t register to my senses, but... go on. I’ll follow behind.”

“Yes.”

There was no issue with moving together with his master, so Kang-hoo acknowledged the accompaniment and took the lead.

The spot the Corrupted Undertaker indicated lay down below a slope.

The location of the dead hunter was displayed in real time as black flames rising—like a scanning overlay.

The grade was fairly steep, but without trying to plant his feet hard, he simply bounded along and reached it quickly.

And then—

“Mm.”

A dead hunter’s body came into view.

Using the constellation’s ability, he had found a corpse that neither Kang-hoo nor the Celestial Assassin had noticed.

It was already so decomposed there was no way to tell what the original face had looked like.

One peculiar point was that the clothes he wore and the items he had on were all intact.

It looked less like a homicide and more like a kind of accidental fall.

Some might ask if a hunter could die from a misstep, but a hunter was human in the end.

And if he had been chased by a beast-type animal monster, or by wraiths like a black shadow or a guide?

It would be no surprise if he failed to notice a slope and suddenly fell to his death.

Unless he had a burst-step or defensive skill, there wasn’t an obvious way to brake on a slope.

“How did you know?”

Following behind Kang-hoo, the Celestial Assassin tilted his head.

The dead bore a distinctive yin energy. It couldn’t be put into words, but the chill settled right on the spot.

For that reason, the Celestial Assassin had, in the past, often found unrecovered corpses north of Ground Zero.

But this one lay farther than his senses would catch—down below a slope, no less.

“A skill, as expected.”

Before hearing Kang-hoo’s answer, the Celestial Assassin concluded by inference.

He already thought of his disciple Kang-hoo as a walking emporium of skills, so it wasn’t anything new.

If he could use such a power well, though, it would be helpful for retrieving dead hunters’ bodies.

“If there’s anything you need, take it. I’ll give you the space.”

“I’m all right, Master.”

“Enough. Quietly tending the traces of the dead is the finder’s privilege—and a courtesy to them.”

Papap! Pat!

The Celestial Assassin vanished on the spot.

In no time, he had scaled the slope, and soon was positioned high above, where even a direct gaze barely reached.

He even turned his head fully to look the other way, clearly making room so Kang-hoo could focus entirely.

First, from the jacket on the already-skeletonized corpse, he took a wallet from an inner pocket.

There was no cash, but he saw his credit cards and ID. The name was Park Byeong-ha.

“Same age as me.”

A hunter the same age.

He didn’t know the story, but it seemed he had come here alone and died. He also took the discharged smartphone as an effect.

He had the location memorized, so he planned to file a report with the Public Safety Bureau after returning.

Even just delivering the wallet and smartphone would be a big help to the family. They would also move to recover him.

Most of the items he recovered from Park Byeong-ha were rank-6—basically “junk.”

They were pieces better suited to equip the Corrupted Mumyeong than Kang-hoo himself. Losing them wouldn’t be a big blow.

However—

What he found inside the backpack Park Byeong-ha had been wearing was no ordinary thing.

“A skill book? Now that’s unexpected.”

There was a precious thing inside.