FVN Chapter 199: The Pursuer (4)
Chapter 199: The Pursuer (4)
Chapter 199: The Pursuer (4)
After arriving in Osaka.
Cha So-hyeok had wanted to kill Kang-hoo the moment he saw the car he was in and his back.
However, the Tou-si Guild had sent three hunters to help him, as part of their own revenge.
There was also Kim In-ho’s persistent request: to wait until he confirmed that Kang-hoo had no tail before making a move.
Cha So-hyeok had been suppressing the boiling rage within him and enduring it. He felt like his blood was boiling backwards.
For several days, he tracked Kang-hoo from a distance.
As expected, Kang-hoo, who often went on drives around the city and outside, seemed to be quite cautious.
Every time he went somewhere, he was always on the phone with someone, constantly looking around and remaining vigilant.
However, the one thing Cha So-hyeok had been most worried about, the Rikou Guild’s escort, was absent.
It seemed that since he wasn’t a member of the guild, they weren’t too concerned about him to that extent.
Additionally, it appeared that Osaka’s overall security was being maintained well enough for Kang-hoo to feel somewhat at ease.
After waiting for four days, the perfect moment to target Kang-hoo finally arrived.
After tracking him for over 30 minutes, Cha So-hyeok confirmed that there was no Rikou Guild escort tailing him.
He had followed him far enough to the outskirts where, no matter what happened, there would be no immediate external intervention.
From the situation, it seemed like Kang-hoo had been exploring a hidden dungeon.
Was he planning to claim ownership if he found one?
Even overseas, Kang-hoo’s greed disgusted Cha So-hyeok.
But at some point, Kang-hoo stopped moving.
He then sat on an old rock nearby, turning to look back.
He even crossed his arms, staring directly at Cha So-hyeok.
Eventually, their eyes met, and the first words Cha So-hyeok heard from Kang-hoo were:
“Cha So-hyeok?”
Kang-hoo had called his name accurately.
Jang Si-hwan believed it was better to sever ties with ill-fate.
Even if you tried to avoid it and let it hang loose, in the end, that ill-fate would chase you down again.
That’s why, even if it was awkward, he never tried to avoid ill-fate. He always faced it head-on and challenged it.
At the same moment.
Kang-hoo was recalling a phrase written in the original novel.
No matter how much he thought about it, it was a deeply meaningful phrase. And right now, Cha So-hyeok was the perfect example of it.
No matter how much he tried to avoid and distance himself, the tangled thread of ill-fate could not easily be unraveled.
There was only one solution.
To cut it off through death. Only then would the thread not stretch any further, nor give the uneasy feeling that it might tighten someday.
“Cha So-hyeok?”
Upon seeing the face that resembled Cha So-hee’s so much, Kang-hoo instantly recognized him as Cha So-hyeok.
It was a face that anyone would say made them unmistakably siblings.
Even when he lived the life of the original author, and even now, living as Shin Kang-hoo, Kang-hoo had never had siblings.
So, it always fascinated him. Were brothers and sisters, no matter their gender, always this identical?
He wondered what it would feel like to have a younger sister or older sister who looked like him. And if that face was smiling?
Since he had never experienced it, he could only imagine. But if someone who looked like him had long hair and was smiling brightly... it would be really strange.
“Shin Kang-hoo, you bastard.”
A string of curses right at their first meeting.
It was exactly the reaction Kang-hoo had expected. Cha So-hyeok probably thought his sister had been wrongfully killed.
“...”
Kang-hoo took advantage of the silence to assess the enemy’s composition.
There were four in total.
Cha So-hyeok was a swordsman.
While there are different styles of swordsmen, Cha So-hyeok could be classified as an extreme damage dealer, focused solely on offense.
And then, standing behind him, ready to join the battle at any moment, were three hunters from the Tou-si Guild.
They appeared to be a black mage, an archer, and an assassin.
When combined with the swordsman, Cha So-hyeok, they formed one of the most troublesome team compositions to face.
It was a well-rounded team, capable of attacking from close range, long range, and making surprise moves from behind, which gave Kang-hoo a headache.
For a brief moment.
He impulsively thought about using the pre-designated spot to teleport away.
But he immediately dismissed the idea. Escape wasn’t the answer. It would only buy a short amount of time and then come back as an even bigger wave.
【The Great Sage of Kangdong】
He created a clone and sent it toward Cha So-hyeok.
【Illusion Technique】
He then used illusions, sending them toward the black mage to intentionally disrupt his sight.
【Shadow Step】
He added one more layer.
By scattering five shadows in different directions, he made it difficult for the enemy to make a decision.
From their perspective, it would seem like eleven versions of Kang-hoo—one clone, five illusions, and five shadows—were all moving at once, creating utter chaos.
He charged at the assassin.
Just then, a tickling sensation crept into his mind.
It was the black mage’s attempt at mental interference. There was clearly a related skill involved.
However, thanks to the Strategist of the Wasteland, the black mage’s attempt was nullified.
At that moment, a subtle exchange of glances occurred between the assassin and the black mage.
The assassin’s look seemed to ask, “What the hell just happened?” while the black mage’s gaze showed bewilderment.
They likely had a prearranged plan that was blocked by Kang-hoo’s mental immunity.
The assassin, who was typically vulnerable to magical attacks, probably didn’t expect to counter it so easily.
Meanwhile, the Tou-si Guild assassin flinched as he saw Kang-hoo rushing toward him with precision.
He was supposed to be in Invisibility.
Sure, someone might be able to guess his position from signs like faint sounds, the ground’s movement, or the wind’s flow.
But the way Kang-hoo was moving straight toward him indicated that he had pinpointed his exact location, which should have been impossible.
“Screw it!”
Even if he was discovered, it didn’t matter.
After all, a fight between assassins is simply a matter of who can stab the vital spot with a dagger first.
As long as he could get close, he was confident he could take him out. He had the perfect kill skill for that.
But at that very moment.
【Veil of Technique】
Kang-hoo disappeared completely from the assassin’s sight.
It was as if Kang-hoo had been erased from the space entirely.
Even within his heightened senses, the assassin couldn’t detect Kang-hoo’s presence.
It felt like Kang-hoo was operating on a concept far beyond normal Invisibility. The term Absolute Invisibility would be more accurate.
The assassin quickly calmed his startled mind.
Since neither of them could see each other, it was just a game of hide-and-seek now.
Still, just in case, he gripped his dagger in reverse and continued to turn his body left and right, prepared for anything.
In any case, to launch an attack, Kang-hoo would have to cancel his invisibility. No invisibility lasts forever.
But then, a variable occurred.
“Urgh...!”
Suddenly, the assassin’s body was yanked backward.
Kang-hoo, who had moved behind him, used a kidnapping skill.
The assassin, who hadn’t been able to detect Kang-hoo’s position, had no time to respond and was pulled without resistance.
But the assassin wasn’t stupid.
Even though he was caught off guard by an unexpected skill, he immediately deployed the Clone Technique as he was being dragged, creating a shield.
It was mysterious that Kang-hoo’s invisibility didn’t break, even after using such an obvious skill.
But he did what he had to.
He reactivated Invisibility, erased his presence with No Shadow, and performed sidesteps with acceleration.
Had his skill been at the highest mastery level, the sidestep would have become a backstep, but unfortunately, his mastery wasn’t quite there yet.
Still, he had executed a textbook evasive maneuver, faithfully utilizing the assassin’s core skills.
Quickly redeploying his invisibility and hiding his figure again—a perfect 100-point response!
That’s how the assassin evaluated his own maneuver.
But he hadn’t realized one fatal flaw.
A hunter had witnessed everything from start to finish with his own eyes. That hunter was Kang-hoo.
Moreover, Kang-hoo, hidden within the Veil of Technique, remained completely unseen by anyone.
It was perfect invisibility.
The assassin’s level was more than 100 above Kang-hoo’s, but the gap in skill usage was like night and day.
Sadly.
Only the assassin himself was unaware of this fact. Like a frog in a well.