The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

Seoul, inside the Public Safety Bureau building.

A man wearing a name tag that read “Yoo Do-hoon” greeted a group of officials entering the building.

“Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Director. Greetings to all three of you.”

These were the figures referred to as the “one-two-three” of Seoul’s Hunter Public Safety Bureau.

Commissioner Kang Hyo-tae, Deputy Commissioner Bong Seong-pil, and Seoul Director Ahn Gyeok-ho.

Although the authority of the Bureau was divided among these three to prevent the concentration of power…

The trio had essentially formed a single ruling body, consolidating the power into one focal point.

Perhaps as a result…

Yoo Do-hoon, who had long been on their bad side, was once again thoroughly ignored by them today.

Ahn Gyeok-ho was quick to flatter the Deputy Commissioner, carefully monitoring his mood as usual.

“Impressive? Nonsense. It’s all thanks to the Commissioner’s groundwork, isn’t it? Seoul remains peaceful today solely because of him!”

The Deputy Commissioner’s sycophant flattered his superior, and the superior beamed with satisfaction.

“By setting a fine example like this, our juniors have nothing to worry about. Don’t you agree? Hahaha!”

The top leader let out a hearty laugh, prompting the other two to clap enthusiastically.

This overly familiar scene didn’t even draw a scoff from Yoo Do-hoon anymore. Everything had rotted beyond repair.

On the first floor of the Seoul Hunter Public Safety Bureau building hung a series of large, prominently displayed photos.

They were all pictures of key Bureau officials alongside Jang Si-hwan and Chae Gwan-hyeong.

It was as if they were worshiping divine favor, with the photos framed in massive displays and revered in the lobby.

Their devotion was so extreme that they assigned daily shifts to clean the frames repeatedly.

If even the tiniest speck of dust or a fingerprint was found, the cleaner was immediately fired.

“Phew.”

Yoo Do-hoon sighed, feeling the lingering traces of the despicable atmosphere left behind by the now-departed officials.

Even though the Bureau was criticized as the Jeonghwa Guild’s second battalion, Yoo Do-hoon remained loyal.

That was because the Bureau was still the only public institution that safeguarded the interests and realities of Hunters in the country.

Moreover, he harbored a deep desire to protect the people living within the Bureau’s jurisdiction in this bleak world.

Though others dismissed it as futile, it was a conviction Yoo Do-hoon had always held close to his heart.

‘Where is our Bureau heading? The Jeonghwa Guild isn’t the entire world.’

But his hopes for the Bureau were dwindling as it turned into a pathetic organization solely focused on pleasing the Jeonghwa Guild.

And those who rebelled against the leadership, like Yoo Do-hoon, were all demoted and “exiled” to the basement.

Yoo Do-hoon wasn’t alone there, however. Several Hunters who shared his ideals also occupied menial roles.

“Ugh.”

As he descended the stairs to the basement, the distinctive stench of corpses hit him instantly.

Once again, he had to handle the post-processing of bodies retrieved from Ground Zero.

Though it felt more like a mortician’s job than anything related to the Bureau, it was necessary to stay employed.

Grip.

Yoo Do-hoon clenched his fists, suppressing his anger and resentment as he forced a fake smile onto his face.

And so…

The day of an outcast despised by the Bureau began again in the basement, surrounded by rotting corpses.

It was another ordinary, worthless, and unremarkable day.

Meanwhile…

After confirming the firepower of the Flaming Dragon Spear, Kang-hoo turned his attention to other matters.

The skill’s effect was evident, as the entire spear was engulfed in blazing flames, maximizing its lethality.

However, since the weapon was a spear, it didn’t provide any stat advantages for an assassin like Kang-hoo.

This led him to consider an unconventional idea: Could the Flaming Dragon Spear skill be applied to a dagger?

The answer, in short, was yes.

It was a possibility unique to Kang-hoo. His class allowed him to learn skills from other classes without penalties.

Of course, the Flaming Dragon Spear skill inherently created flames based on the length of the weapon, so the flames produced on a dagger were much shorter than those on a spear. ṘΑɴО𝖇Ë𝘚

Nevertheless, the fact that it was possible expanded his options and removed the need to stick to spears.

【Shin Kang-hoo Lv. 235】

【Class: Assassin】

【Unique Talents: Moderately Superior Agility / Exceptionally Superior Visual Acuity】

【Strength: 1063】【Agility: 1203】

【Endurance: 915】【Mana: 21】

【Magic Resistance: 560】【Toughness: 710】

*【Dark Energy: 455】

“Every time I see my Mana stat, it makes my heart race.”

Kang-hoo swept his chest with relief as he reviewed his status window and noticed the unusually low Mana stat.

If the Mana stat exceeded 50, he would lose the benefits of the Barbaric Era effect entirely.

Although he was cautious, there was one variable.

The stat bonus granted when he prayed for the souls of fallen Hunters.

The effect of the Vile Priest constellation granted random stat increases with each prayer.

‘If my Mana stat surpasses 30, I’ll have to stop those prayers entirely.’@@novelbin@@

For now, it was fine at 21.

But given the possibility of gaining up to 10 Mana points at once, he wasn’t willing to take unnecessary risks. His hard limit was 30 Mana.

“At least I know where to apply my skill enhancements now.”

Kang-hoo paused briefly.

Having cleared the mid-boss immediately upon entering the dungeon, he needed a moment to catch his breath.

He had initially planned to delay using the skill enhancement opportunity he had recently acquired.

If possible, Kang-hoo wanted to copy a Named’s skill and enhance it.

But there were no guarantees.

More specifically, he was unsure how best to use his one chance at skill copying.

So, instead of waiting indefinitely for a new skill to copy, he decided to enhance the most valuable skill he currently possessed.

Kang-hoo had three ultimate-level skills through skill enhancement: Shadow Clone Technique, Protective Barrier, and Blood Flower.

The Shadow Clone Technique was specialized for deception and diversion and was already being utilized effectively. Protective Barrier was perfectly tailored for defense.

And Blood Flower was an essential skill used in every battle as a finisher or a method to inflict severe injuries. It was his best skill.

Among these cherished skills, if Kang-hoo had to pick one to enhance, there was only one choice.

It was Great Execution. Recently imbued with the Dark Age attribute, it now had immense versatility.

“I use Great Execution as much as Blood Flower for finishing blows. It’s definitely not wasted as an ordinary skill.”

With minimal hesitation and swift decision-making, Kang-hoo linked skill enhancement to Great Execution.

All indicators and details of the skill immediately changed.

What would the evolved ultimate-level Great Execution look like? For now, the name remained the same.

【Great Execution】

【Skill Proficiency: Ultimate】

-Consumes 15% of both HP and Mana to deliver a critical blow to a designated target.

-Damage scales with the total Strength of the user and the weapon equipped while being inversely proportional to the target's Toughness.

-Monsters or Hunters with levels less than 33% of the user’s level are instantly killed.

-The target impaled by the dagger used for Great Execution suffers permanent bleeding until the dagger is removed.

-Condemnation: Activates execution on enemies with HP below 10%. Can be used once per day. Execution causes shock, resulting in instant death, but is only enabled if the user's contribution to the damage is at least 50%.

“The HP and Mana consumption decreased from 25% to 15%. That’s quite a relief.”

He was pleased with the changes right from the first line.

Using a quarter of his HP and Mana versus just over a seventh made a significant difference.

Moreover, while conditional, the fact that bleeding persisted as long as the dagger remained embedded added new tactical options.

The most intriguing feature was the Condemnation option. Kang-hoo envisioned various ways to combine it with his other skills.

For instance, he could use Blood Flower to deal significant damage to a weakened enemy, reducing their HP to below 10%, and then activate execution.

According to the original work’s lore, the instant death option was a concept superior to invulnerability—it was inescapable death.

Upon closer inspection of the detailed tooltip, it seemed that enemies with HP below 10% would automatically have the execution icon activated.

The icon, resembling a blood-dripping dagger, unmistakably signified death to anyone who saw it.

With this, Kang-hoo now had four ultimate-level skills.

Considering that most Hunters struggled to acquire even one, this was an overwhelming advantage.

This advantage was made possible because upgrading to an ultimate-level skill required maximum proficiency—a fundamental condition that couldn’t be ignored.

Thanks to the Dimension Plunderer constellation, Kang-hoo could start any skill, even an unconventional one, at max proficiency.

It was a moment that reaffirmed the power of a constellation. The “constellation buff” was real, as impactful as item buffs.

At that moment, Kang-hoo suddenly stopped.

‘Could there be resistance to side effects when combining Mad Solarkium with Gakshin-hwan?’

He recalled the combination of two remedies that had worked remarkably well during his fight against the Hive Queen.

In the original work, The Villain’s Survival Guide as a Savior, there was no such thing as a cure-all.

Every gain came with a price, necessitating careful consideration of benefits and losses.

Yet, the Mad Solarkium and Gakshin-hwan combination seemed to have no drawbacks in his current circumstances.

During the novel’s serialization, he had received feedback from readers calling him a ruthless author who put the protagonist through extreme hardships.

It seemed unlikely that Shin Kang-hoo’s weaknesses would be so easily overcome. There would surely be a price or drawback to using them.

“Well… seems like I’m reaping the karma. Complaining would just be a self-inflicted insult.”

Kang-hoo let out a bitter laugh.

Everything in this world was of his own making.

Even what he couldn’t remember was likely the subconscious product of his mind.

Who could he blame?

He had no choice but to adapt and challenge what lay ahead.

Four hours later.

Having comfortably reached level 236 and closing in on 237, Kang-hoo entered the boss monster zone.

Based on his solo experience in this mysterious dungeon, monsters up to level 350 were manageable.

While taking on groups was challenging, luring them into one-on-one fights was entirely feasible.

“So, you’re the master of this place.”

Kang-hoo muttered as he spotted the boss monster.

It stood upright, fixing its gaze on him with a commanding presence.

Its name was Leo.

A lion-like, bipedal humanoid monster.

Its perfectly sculpted muscular frame suggested that this fight would be far from easy.