The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

Chapter 241: Norway (2)

“If someone I need feels distant from me, it’s natural they wouldn’t offer help.”

He realized that he needed to bridge the gap with people who should be close to him.

His life had never been ordinary from the start, making him overly cautious.

That caution did prevent him from getting entangled with insignificant people.

But on the flip side, it also made those who should be close feel like there was a wall.

Park Dong-jae’s observation was sharp.

Perhaps wanting to resonate more with Kang-hoo’s heart, Park Dong-jae added:

“You’re someone who even saved my life, yet I still feel you’re cautious and keeping your distance from me.”

“I can’t deny that.”

“Thanks.”

“Thanks for what? I’m actually feeling a bit guilty for speaking out of turn.”

“No, I didn’t take it that way. I’m just grateful for what you’ve said, without overcomplicating things.”

Kang-hoo shook his head.

He thought that only Park Dong-jae would say such things to him.

If he was just watching Kang-hoo’s mood, he wouldn’t have started this conversation. He would’ve only said pleasant things.

Feeling the atmosphere getting a bit stiff, Kang-hoo changed the subject.

“Dong-jae.”

“Yeah?”

“Have you heard anything about Eclipse or Heuksaja? I have some questions.”

What Kang-hoo mentioned next was the story he had heard from Bartender Benny at the bar.

Park Dong-jae listened more attentively than Kang-hoo expected, not dismissing it as nonsense.

After listening, Park Dong-jae continued as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Actually, because of Se-hyuk, I’ve had to focus on Daejeon lately, so I’ve done quite a bit of investigation there.”

“As expected.”

“But there’s a lot of gossip, so much false information. We needed cross-verification through the Black Network, and we got some significant conclusions.”

“Interesting.”

“Firstly, while we can’t find concrete evidence for Heuksaja’s backing, there’s a 99% chance it’s the Kashimar Guild.”

“Is that 1% because there’s no evidence?”

“Exactly. We haven’t seen it outright, but there’s plenty of circumstantial evidence. Hyung, did you know about the purge in Heuksaja?”

“Purge?”

This was news to him.

Since it was an internal affair, it wasn’t something that would hit the news.

Even in the original story, Heuksaja wasn’t covered in depth.

They clashed with Cheong-an Mercenary Corps and Eclipse in Daejeon but were more of a long, thin thread rather than a direct threat.

They weren’t a significant threat to Jeonghwa Guild, so they didn’t feature much in Jang Si-hwan’s narrative.

“All the mid-level executives were replaced, except for the top brass. All changed to the pro-Kashimar Guild faction.”

“Is this Kashimar Guild’s influence?”

“That could be one reason. The top brass might have revamped the organization to receive more support from Kashimar Guild.”

“Either way, it suggests a stronger connection with Kashimar Guild.”

“Exactly. Kashimar Guild still hasn’t given up on Korea. Osho Mercenary Corps collapsed, so they need another arm.”

Indeed, Park Dong-jae was known for his information network, providing more specific and verified information than what Benny had shared.

Park Dong-jae, gulping down a glass of champagne provided on the flight, continued:

“And for Eclipse, one thing is certain, hyung. There’s someone above Kang Dong-hyun.”

“There were always rumors about that, but no one from above Kang Dong-hyun has ever stepped forward, so it was considered conspiracy.”

“No, there is. There’s evidence that some guild executives went abroad for study and tactical exchanges related to the higher-ups.”

“Oh.”

“There’s a chance it’s the Fortuna Guild. In terms of probability… about 50%?”

“Lower than the Heuksaja case.”

“Eclipse’s internal information is hard to confirm; that’s why. But even if it’s the Fortuna Guild, they’re not in an active sponsorship role like the Kashimar Guild.”

“They hold a position where they can cut ties anytime if necessary?”

“Bingo. You know how cautious and meticulous the master of the Fortuna Guild is.”

“I know.”

The master of the Fortuna Guild, Casey Rex.

In the original story, he was the one who opened the path for Jang Si-hwan’s Jeonghwa Guild to expand into North and South America.

Although depicted as somewhat scheming, he was always cooperative with Jang Si-hwan.

He never once rejected or ignored Jang Si-hwan’s requests or proposals. He was rather proactive.

He also strongly agreed with the idea that elites should lead the flow, judge the wicked, and establish order.

And since they were both ‘magicians,’ he always admired Jang Si-hwan’s abilities.

They exchanged a lot of feedback on magic, and thanks to Jang Si-hwan, he experienced much growth.

That’s why Kang-hoo considered Casey Rex a hunter on Jang Si-hwan’s side.

He owed Jang Si-hwan a great deal, emotionally speaking, and was quite attached to him.

“Wherever you heard this gossip from, it’s pretty sharp. Is this person your informant?”

“Not quite to that extent.”

Kang-hoo chuckled, thinking of Benny. To think he could get such high-quality information for the price of one cocktail.

Even the information from Club Hades had been questionable but turned out to be true. The credibility of the information was high.

The airplane at its maximum altitude.

Whether for the passengers’ peaceful sleep, the crew had closed all the windows and turned off the lights.

This created an environment conducive to sleep, and Park Dong-jae asked for permission before falling asleep first.

Meanwhile, Kang-hoo was organizing thoughts that had arisen from his conversation with Park Dong-jae.

‘While the original narrative centered around Jang Si-hwan, there must naturally be stories of other characters hidden beneath. They can’t all be just and normal.’

This was what he thought when Park Dong-jae mentioned the possible connection between Eclipse and the Fortuna Guild.

As the author, he wrote from an ‘omniscient author’s perspective,’ but only showed what could be shown.

It was impractical to detail every element that made up the world in the text.

Doing so would invite criticism from readers for unnecessary storytelling or accusations of padding content.

Thus, only the positive aspects of Casey Rex, which were necessary for Jang Si-hwan in the original, were shown.

Therefore, regarding parts not written in the text, his ‘unconscious’ filled in the blanks.

Even if Casey was truly scheming or acting good in front of Jang Si-hwan, it wouldn’t be strange.

After all, Jang Si-hwan’s current state has changed, aligning with the subordinate ending of the original work.

Although Kang-hoo hadn’t directly checked Jang Si-hwan’s condition, he could easily guess.

That guy’s virtue was hypocrisy.

Even if there was a good side to him, it was either pretense or a weak self buried beneath.

‘There are forces other than The Abyss that could be of help if I make them my allies within Korea.’

His thoughts expanded.

After working with Jeon Se-hyuk on the sudden attack at the Pyeongtaek branch, Kang-hoo realized how valuable it was to have saved Lee Hyun-seok.

Even when altering the history of the original story, there were still elements that could benefit Kang-hoo.

‘Myeongga Guild.’

That’s the Myeongga Guild.

In the not-too-distant future, the Myeongga Guild would be completely wiped out by the Hae-young Guild, based in Busan.

Due to their small elite force, they stood no chance against the numerical tactics and were swept away.

Of course, that Hae-young Guild would eventually be consumed by the Jeonghwa Guild, providing only benefits to the Jeonghwa Guild in the end.

“…”

With his eyes closed, Kang-hoo envisioned how the domestic landscape from the original story changed over time.

In the original, everything had to converge and be unified around Jang Si-hwan.

Elements that could hinder him were gradually eliminated over time.

The Myeongga Guild, which was not cooperative with the Jeonghwa Guild, was no exception.

Jang Si-hwan did not commit the evil act himself.

Instead, he used the Hae-young Guild as a borrowed knife to cleanly dispose of them, employing a strategy akin to killing two birds with one stone.

【Jang Si-hwan couldn’t believe that the Hae-young Guild had attacked the Myeongga Guild, which was small but full of capable hunters.

For a better future, even if not friendly, these elite forces were necessary.

The Hae-young Guild’s atrocity of wiping out these elites in one fell swoop could no longer be tolerated.】

This was the reason in the original story for Jang Si-hwan to declare the Hae-young Guild as an enemy and attack them.

But from Shin Kang-hoo’s perspective, reinterpreting this, could it really be seen as an act of goodwill?

After instigating the Hae-young Guild to attack the Myeongga Guild, he could later use this as a pretext to eliminate the Hae-young Guild as well.

If you remove the premise that Jang Si-hwan is inherently good, the interpretation of the situation completely changes.

“Oh, really.”

Kang-hoo let out a hollow laugh.

How far would the impact of the small, or rather, massive ball thrown by the ending reach?

Given that he had personally grabbed and twisted the future, he couldn’t blame anyone.

Indeed, knowing everything written in the original was an advantage, but not everything should be taken at face value. The interpretation of Jang Si-hwan needed to be different.

A while later.

Kang-hoo handed a refreshing glass of water to Park Dong-jae, who had just woken up from a deep sleep.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Man… I slept like a baby, hyung.”

“There’s something I want to ask.”

“Go ahead, you can ask two or three things if you want.”

“I was wondering if you’ve heard anything about the basic ideology or policy of the Myeongga Guild.”

Park Dong-jae is a hunter who has many connections with the Myeongga Guild. He would know much more than Kang-hoo.

“I can tell you one thing for sure. The Myeongga Guild is made up of people who are completely fed up with the Jeonghwa Guild.”

“Tell me more.”

“They’re hunters who would have been scouted by the Jeonghwa Guild long ago if there was no reason to be at odds with them.”

“Right.”

“Either they’ve seen the true face of the Jeonghwa Guild, or they have friends or family involved with the White Rose, who were unjustly massacred.”

White Rose. A mercenary group based in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province.

They were wrongly accused as a ‘criminal organization’ for planning the terror at Gangnam Station Exit 11 and were exterminated by the Jeonghwa Guild.

Since he had learned about this news not long after waking up in this world, it was vividly remembered.

Park Dong-jae added:

“If there’s a common ground among hunters where they hate the Jeonghwa Guild, they’d consider each other closer than anyone else in the world.”

The following content.

It was quite an interesting statement.