The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

The skirmish began immediately.

It was because Leo made the first move as soon as Kang-hoo’s location was confirmed.

Normally, a “guard range” exists, and only when someone enters it does the entity respond to outsiders.

However, in the case of a boss monster with intense aggression, it often moves just from visual recognition.

For hunters facing such a monster, there’s no time to prepare or strategize—they are plunged directly into battle.

“Phew.”

Kang-hoo lowered his stance immediately.

He also switched his dagger to his right hand. There was no room for leisure or practice when dealing with a boss monster.

“Roooaaar!”

His ten sharp claws—technically toenails—gleamed as they aimed for Kang-hoo’s neck.

【Swift Evasion】

The first response was swift evasion.

A slight backward movement was enough to easily dodge Leo’s attack. Kang-hoo immediately followed up by leaping forward.

The move resembled an aggressive evasion tactic, retreating only to advance straight away.

“Ugh!”

Perhaps due to Kang-hoo’s quicker-than-expected evasion and counterattack, Leo let out a startled growl.

But.

【Great Decapitation】

Starting with a powerful Great Decapitation attack, Kang-hoo’s calculated opening was immediately countered by Leo.

That counter was—

Srrrrk.

‘…Dematerialization?’

It was as though Leo’s very existence had disappeared.

Leo was still there; his semi-transparent figure was visible.

However, Kang-hoo’s Great Decapitation attack sliced through empty air.

This wasn’t invisibility. If it had been, the dagger would have made contact, as invisibility still retains a physical presence.

But as though slicing through air, the dagger merely swung through the void and stopped.

In the meantime.

Leo retreated leisurely, concentrating magic power into all ten claws, then slashed forward aggressively.

Having successfully deflected the earlier attack seemed to boost his confidence significantly.

“Ugh.”

He even sneered openly.

【Barrier of Protection】 @@novelbin@@

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kang-hoo blocked the first wave of attacks with his Barrier of Protection.

Because the barrier was deployed in a single integrated structure for safety, Kang-hoo’s body was pushed back slightly with each strike of Leo’s claws. R𝓪ŊÓ𝐛ÈS̩

Creak.

Kang-hoo took out one Solarkium from his pocket and chewed on it. Thirteen units remained. He still had plenty of reserves.

‘I need to explore further.’

In a typical skirmish, conclusions are reached within about 10 seconds of combat initiation.

But Leo needed to be approached differently. Weaknesses in his dematerialization ability had to be identified before the skirmish could end.

If Kang-hoo couldn’t find a way, any attack would be evaded by Leo’s method.

While Leo’s ability was confounding, Kang-hoo didn’t think it was perfect.

Nothing in this world is all-powerful. If there’s an advantage, there’s always a disadvantage.

If something appears flawless, it’s not because it lacks flaws, but because they’re hidden.

From then on.

Although neither side landed a single blow, the skirmish continued with nerve-wracking intensity.

Both Kang-hoo and Leo were fully aware: though the current clash was inconclusive, the balance would break eventually.

The moment it did, the losing side would face complete destruction.

Both were at full strength.

So neither allowed a single mistake. Focus was critical. A single lapse would spell the end.

‘I think I understand.’

Kang-hoo’s eyes gleamed.

While maintaining his defense, he persistently read and analyzed Leo’s patterns.

“Praise to the Theory of Universal Patterns!” He couldn’t help but think of Takashi.

‘Then!’

Whoosh!

As Leo’s claws narrowly missed him, Kang-hoo darted toward Leo’s abdomen.

This wasn’t an opportunistic attack; Leo had a solid counter for such an approach.

Thud!

As expected, Leo retaliated by kicking upward with his muscular legs, aiming for Kang-hoo.

At that moment:

【Clone Technique】

【Illusion Technique】

【Lateral Movement】

Kang-hoo deployed three skills consecutively.

A clone materialized in place, supported by an illusion standing beside it.

Simultaneously, Kang-hoo used Lateral Movement to shift cleanly behind Leo.

【Stealth】

【Shadowless】

He erased both his presence and his form.

Thud!

Leo’s kick struck the clone instead, sending it flying into the air before it fell to the ground.

Kang-hoo was controlling the clone’s movements.

Thanks to the upgraded learning capabilities of his ultimate skill, he could make the clone’s actions convincingly lifelike.

But that wasn’t enough.

Kang-hoo’s focus was on delivering a definitive strike that transcended mere deception.

The next moment:

Wooosh!

The clone, mimicking a Great Decapitation move, lunged aggressively at Leo.

Leo had been learning as well.

He recognized that Kang-hoo’s Great Decapitation often involved such a straightforward charge.

Of course, this was a deliberate setup by Kang-hoo.

By repeatedly showcasing his skills, he had trained Leo to believe that Great Decapitation was a deadly frontal assault.

It was a trap tailored for a monster like Leo, whose intelligence surpassed that of typical monsters.

Srrrrrk.

Just as expected, Leo’s body became blurry, effortlessly evading the clone’s attack.

The clone’s strike slashed uselessly through the air.

Leo sidestepped gracefully, extending his ten sharp claws, and began reverting from dematerialization to his original form.

His hazy figure grew clearer, regaining its solid shape, lines forming over his semi-transparent exterior.

Or rather, it should have—

“Guhk?”

Leo gasped, feeling his chest constrict painfully as he looked down.

Nothing was visible.

But it felt as though a heavy stone had lodged inside his chest, making him feel stiff and suffocated.

At that very moment.

Flame burst!

“Kuhhh!”

Leo felt it.

Not from the outside, but from within—an intense blaze of searing heat began to surge.

Though nothing appeared on the surface, the sensation within his body was unmistakable.

Fire was burning!

A fire so intense that it transcended mere heat, awakening an agonizing pain so severe it rendered him incapable of screaming—a fire of death!

“A fatal weakness.”

Kang-hoo murmured.

The flaw in Leo’s ability was that foreign objects could become lethal when he reverted to his original form.

For instance, what would happen if a stone was placed exactly where the heart used to be?

The space occupied by the stone would create a blockage, or the collision between the heart and stone would cause rupture.

And what if a spear was placed horizontally across the reassembled abdomen? It would instantly result in a piercing injury.

Kang-hoo had anticipated this and positioned his left hand over the spot where Leo’s solar plexus would reform.

As Leo finished reverting, Kang-hoo’s hand ended up plunged inside Leo’s body.

Then he unleashed the Death Flame skill.

This active skill generated fire directly from his hand, which caused no harm or heat to Kang-hoo himself.

“Graaaah!”

Leo froze on the spot, trembling violently, unable to move even a single claw.

His insides were roasting in the high-temperature blaze; rational thought was out of the question.

The flames burned through his organs, bones—everything—without discrimination, rapidly draining Leo’s stamina.

【Blood Flower】

Kang-hoo withdrew his left hand from Leo’s body and triggered Blood Flower.

Leo’s body jerked violently.

Outwardly, nothing seemed to happen, but the way parts of his body bulged and deflated suggested internal explosions.

And then.

‘Activate Judgement.’

The Judgment option of Great Decapitation, upgraded to an ultimate, finally revealed itself.

A glowing dagger-shaped icon, dripping with blood, blinked above Leo’s head.

【Execution】

The follow-up Execution.

At that moment.

“……!”

A painful, constricting sensation from his heart made Leo’s eyes widen in shock.

He couldn’t do anything. His body stiffened, paralyzed by what was unmistakably cardiac arrest.

“Guhh…”

Clutching his chest, Leo foamed at the mouth and fell forward like a stiff log.

It was instant death.

【Your level has increased significantly to 240!】

Kang-hoo’s level jumped by four at once.

The generous experience reward was due to defeating the boss of a mystery dungeon that had never been conquered before.

The Skill Theft feature was then activated.

What was the original name of the skill Kang-hoo had arbitrarily named Dematerialization?

【Intangibility】

【Enhanced Senses】

Looking at the activated skill list, “Intangibility” seemed correct. Its manifestation made the name fitting.

When Kang-hoo first saw the skill, he found it highly desirable, but his thoughts had since changed.

The skill’s weakness was too glaring.

Upon reverting to one’s original form, overlapping with foreign objects or reassembling with shared structures led to instant death or severe injury.

It might be ideal against inexperienced hunters.

But against observant hunters, it could create weaknesses where none existed.

For that reason, Kang-hoo decided not to steal it. A skill with such clear pros and cons could easily become a double-edged sword.

Instead, he chose Enhanced Senses.

Though overshadowed by the flashiness of Leo’s Intangibility skill, Kang-hoo deemed it exceptionally useful.

【Enhanced Senses】

【Skill Mastery: Lv. Max】

【Focus magical energy to enhance one of the five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, or touch.】

“Activating touch would be insane. But the other four senses have wide-ranging applications.”

Kang-hoo immediately used Enhanced Senses. True to the tooltip, magical energy consumption heightened his senses.

He started with vision.

As his vision enhanced, objects at great distances appeared much clearer and sharper.

“It’s like having visual acuity of 5.0 or 6.0. It feels like observing through a high-powered telescope.”

The improvement was evident.

With this, reconnaissance could be conducted without needing to send people to distant locations.

Particularly useful was its night vision capability, enabling functionality even in complete darkness.

Enhanced smell also amplified his senses to the point where he could detect the scent of plants located far away.

The same applied to hearing and taste. Depending on strategic needs, each sense offered immense utility.

“If I hadn’t had Dimension Plunderer, my growth would’ve been unimaginable. It’s a frightening thought.”

Kang-hoo nodded in acknowledgment of the overwhelming versatility of Skill Theft. Truly, it was the ultimate ability.

After acquiring a new skill, he picked up three green mana stones from the ground.

Estimated value: 300 million won. Perfect as a gift for Han Seung-hyeok when leaving the dungeon.

Just then.

“What’s this?”

Kang-hoo noticed another piece of loot beneath the green mana stones.

A “rare material” dropped from Leo.

It was an item Kang-hoo had always planned to farm one day.

It was only available in China and from a dungeon he couldn’t yet access at his current level.

Unexpectedly, he had acquired it earlier than anticipated, from an unlikely place.

【Claw of Hatred】

When crafted into a dagger.

It would enhance cutting power by at least twofold—a special material with enormous potential.