The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

The item testing lasted for a full two hours without any breaks.

Midway, Kim Shin-ryeong suggested several times that Kang-hoo should take a rest, but Kang-hoo had no intention of doing so.

As Kim Shin-ryeong began to sulk while repeatedly hearing Kang-hoo’s verdict of rejection for the items, Kang-hoo suddenly showed interest.

“This one. This seems good. May I purchase it?”

Being able to make the first purchase proposal for Kim Shin-ryeong’s modified items was one of the reasons Kang-hoo actively participated in the testing.

It allowed him to evaluate the performance of items before any other hunter in the world.

Kim Shin-ryeong asked, “Do you think it’s good?”

“Yes. I thought the suppression option might have gaps, but after evenly testing it for ten minutes, there seem to be no issues.”

“It’s a bracelet; are you sure? The price is second-grade, so you’ll need to loosen your wallet a bit.”

Kang-hoo smiled.

He knew that a second-grade “bracelet” would cost at least 100 billion won.

Considering the modified nature of the item, Kang-hoo was even willing to spend an additional 10 billion to 20 billion won.

“Will you buy it?”

“Yes. I really want this one.”

“Good. There was a hunter who asked me to let them know if I came up with a decent bracelet, but I’ll prioritize you over them.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank me for what? It’s not like I’m giving it away for free.”

Kang-hoo reviewed the options again.

【Silent Sea – Bracelet】

【Grade: 2nd Grade】

【HP +100】

【Suppression – Suppresses the release of magic power, dark energy, and divine force emanating from the body.

This is not activated constantly but requires continuous magic consumption to suppress the energy. It can avoid even fine detection.】

“It originally had an option to increase magic by 200. But during the modification process, the magic option disappeared and was replaced with suppression.”

“Considering it was exchanged for magic, the suppression option looks very appealing.”

“For hunters who don’t want to reveal their identity first, it’s the perfect item.”

As Kim Shin-ryeong said, being able to hide one’s energy had significant implications. It made perfect stealth possible.

The basic skill of assassins at Level 50, Shadowless, only erased their “presence.”

In other words, while it could hide sounds or footprints, it couldn’t suppress the natural release of magic power unique to hunters.

But with the suppression option, that could be controlled.

Using magic to hide magic was inefficient, but for assassins like Kang-hoo, it was an excellent feature to enhance stealth.

“To my knowledge, modified items can be renamed by the system once.”

“That’s right. So, I renamed it. What do you think? Doesn’t it fit the suppression option?”

“I like it.”

Silent Sea—one of the basalt plains on the Moon’s near side. It was a name Kang-hoo had heard before.

The more he repeated it, the more it felt etched into him, and he genuinely appreciated Kim Shin-ryeong’s naming sense.

“Will you buy it?”

“I’d like to sell the bracelet I’ve been using so far, too.”

“Sure. I’ll buy it.”

“Then let’s proceed with selling and buying.”

“So, you finally found something satisfactory during the last test? Everything else failed, though.”

“If you want, I can lower the testing standards.”

“No, I don’t want that. It actually motivates me to be challenged. Thanks for being honest.”

“Not at all. I just shared my honest opinion.”

“Not the type for flattery, are you?”

“No. Unless absolutely necessary, I avoid it.”

How many times had people around him felt disappointed because he couldn’t manage a single piece of flattery?

But what couldn’t be done, couldn’t be done. Even if he tried, it would be awkward and obvious.

“Well then, let’s complete the transaction and move on to the next thing.”

“Let’s do that.”

The testing was over.

Kang-hoo also wrapped up shopping for a usable modified item he wanted.

Before testing Silent Sea, nothing had been satisfactory, and he thought the day would end in vain.

But things turned around at the last minute.

The transaction was swift and seamless.

After the exchange, his account had 216 billion won left.

It was a substantial amount, yet it could disappear in a blink if he decided to spend it.

That’s why, despite having a lot of money, Kang-hoo never considered himself wealthy.

It was likely because he constantly pursued higher-grade items and upgrades to his specs.

If his main goal had been to settle in comfort, the money would have piled up, but growth would have ceased.

Afterward.

The promised summon training with Kim Shin-ryeong took place.

This time, instead of the black wolf he’d encountered before, a silver wolf appeared—a summon specialized in heightened detection abilities.

The Silent Sea’s suppression option made the silver wolf an ideal sparring partner for testing.

From the beginning, the silver wolf couldn’t pinpoint Kang-hoo’s location.

Even Kim Shin-ryeong was impressed by the sheer brilliance of Kang-hoo’s skill set.

Using Shadowless to hide his presence, he entered an absolute stealth state with Veil of Dexterity.

While maintaining invisibility through stealth, the suppression option further concealed his energy.

No matter how much the senses were heightened, there was no way to locate Kang-hoo. The silver wolf was utterly stumped.

Of course, there were ways to counter this, such as luring Kang-hoo outside the Veil of Dexterity.

The veil was an area-based skill, so stepping outside its range caused it to dissipate.

This also served as a reminder for Kang-hoo about the single weakness of the Veil of Dexterity.

To locate Kang-hoo, who was in a near-perfect stealth state, the silver wolf had no choice but to observe even the smallest, most subtle changes with utmost precision.

That itself became a form of training, pushing the summon to enhance its sensory abilities to their maximum potential.

Kang-hoo’s flawless stealth provided the silver wolf with strong motivation. The summon’s intelligence drove its self-improvement.

As a result, the training ended with both Kang-hoo and the silver wolf gaining much from the session.

The official matters with Kim Shin-ryeong concluded on that note.

Perhaps they had spent more time than expected on the modified item testing and silver wolf training.

While sipping the tea offered by Kim Shin-ryeong, Kang-hoo sank deeply into the sofa, letting his dampened body relax.

They exchanged casual conversation.

Though not particularly noteworthy, the stories were intriguing to listen to.

While listening to Kim Shin-ryeong, Kang-hoo abruptly changed the topic when she mentioned Celestial Assassin.

“How did you come to know Celestial Assassin?”

He was curious about Celestial Assassin.

It was inevitable, given the notorious reputation of Celestial Assassin and Kang-hoo’s intent to replicate his skills.

Of course, Kang-hoo hadn’t had the chance to meet him yet since he hadn’t traveled to China.

However, Celestial Assassin was undoubtedly a significant figure on Kang-hoo’s radar.

“I mentioned earlier, didn’t I? Celestial Assassin and K have a sworn brotherhood. They’ve been close since their youth.”

“That means…”

“When I became K’s lover, Celestial Assassin openly disliked me. He claimed I had the face of someone who devours men or something equally absurd.”

“Regardless of the reason, does a third party have the right to meddle in someone else’s relationship?”

“Exactly. The problem was that K was a fool who couldn’t disregard his revered brother’s words.”

The picture became clearer.

Contrary to Kang-hoo’s assumption, K seemed to have crumbled under indecision, unable to take a stand.

Kim Shin-ryeong continued.

“Anyway, we eventually broke up. Since the breakup wasn’t bitter, we managed to maintain a good relationship afterward. But…”

“It seems like something else happened.”

“Celestial Assassin hated me tinkering with and modifying items. He called it playing around and said it was unnecessary.”

“Hmm.”

“He claimed to be a purist. He’d preach some nonsense philosophy about how modified items could be dangerous for hunters.”

“It seems there were plenty of reasons for conflict between you two.”

“Exactly. To me, he’s a crazy old man who ruined everything from my love life to my career as a hunter.”

“That makes sense.”

Kang-hoo nodded.

Convictions are hard to break, so Celestial Assassin must have had his reasons.

However, he came across as rigid and stubborn, someone better suited for one-sided lectures than two-way conversations.

Considering how close K and Celestial Assassin were, Kang-hoo wondered if he should actively pursue mentorship from him.

Having already heard K’s intentions, it was clear K wanted to bridge the gap between Kang-hoo and Celestial Assassin.

‘Even if it’s not for skill replication, there’s much to learn from him as an assassin. But his convictions might be an issue.’

Judging from Kim Shin-ryeong’s account, he seemed eccentric—a mentor who would likely be challenging to deal with.

It was a complicated thought.

Personality-wise, he’d score zero.

Skill-wise, he’d score full marks.

Someone like that stood beside K.

Wouldn’t it be better to make a definitive decision before it was too late?

Kim Shin-ryeong and Kang-hoo parted ways, promising to meet again.

By their next meeting, Kim Shin-ryeong planned to work on modifying the items based on today’s feedback.

For Kang-hoo, her efforts meant more appealing items worth purchasing in the future.

Before leaving, Kang-hoo made sure to encourage her with a few words.

Though he couldn’t bring himself to say something as cheesy as “Fighting!”, saying, “I look forward to it,” came naturally.

As soon as he left the villa and returned to Pohang Station, he received a call from Oh Yoo-jin.

She informed him that negotiations with the Gratia Guild were complete. He could join the expedition anytime within a week.

Through Huntergram, she provided all the related schedules and dungeon information.

When Kang-hoo inquired about the Groo Guild’s request, Oh Yoo-jin sent a message.

-Secure the journey from the designated area to the dungeon entrance, maintain security after the conquest, and return to the designated area.

-We’ll be visiting one of our dungeons. Of course, “bloodshed” is mandatory.

-You can proceed after your Norway mission. Let us know, and we’ll wait!

A dungeon owned by the Groo Guild requiring strict security—it was clearly no ordinary dungeon.

Given Jeju Island’s numerous high-value dungeons, the anticipation grew. He would find out soon enough.

‘The dungeon expedition is confirmed. Now I just need to finalize one team member before departing.’

The most critical piece of the puzzle remained.

Names of close acquaintances came to mind: Jung Yuri, Takashi, An Yeong-ho, Jeon Se-hyuk, Ban Se-young, Park Dong-jae, Ayane, and Yun Sang-mi.

He needed to choose one. Who would benefit him the most?