The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All-Chapter 237: The Silent Sea (2)

The night was enveloped in darkness.

As the torrential rain, which had paused briefly, began again, the safety hotel where Kang-hoo was staying echoed with the sound of raindrops striking the window.

While being soaked in the rain outside was unpleasant, resting indoors gave the storm a certain charm.

Kang-hoo, who had just received a call from Kang Bok-hwa, was reviewing his schedule.

Apparently, a family member holding the first-grade talisman Infernus was currently in Vietnam.

It seemed it would take some time before they could travel to Korea—about a week at the earliest.

Since there was no reason for Kang-hoo to rush, he simply acknowledged the update.

Nevertheless, the opportunity to finally hold Infernus seemed imminent, making him anxious in various ways.

Meanwhile…

He habitually tuned into Hunter News.

Curious about the day’s updates, he saw that news about the battle between The Abyss and the Jeonghwa Guild was being reported.

“A large-scale battle caused by the criminal organization The Abyss is currently unfolding in the Dongducheon area.

The master of the Jeonghwa Guild, Jang Si-hwan, has declared an all-out war against The Abyss today, stating there will be no compromise with forces of evil. Furthermore, he announced a one-time offer of leniency for any members leaving The Abyss by this Sunday.“

As expected, media outlets related to hunters had a pro-Jeonghwa bias, framing the narrative with their wording.

Labeling The Abyss a criminal organization right in the headline clearly positioned it as evil.

The reports broadcast by media outlets weren’t spontaneously written by journalists.

Each word was meticulously analyzed and selected to convey its intended meaning to viewers.

“Hm.”

Kang-hoo took out his smartphone and searched for a map of Gyeonggi-do.

Finding the exact map he had referenced while writing the original story wasn’t difficult.

Currently, in the northern Gyeonggi region, the Jeonghwa Guild’s territory encompassed Gimpo, Paju, Goyang, Yangju, and Uijeongbu.

Dongducheon was a protruding area surrounded by The Abyss’s territory.

Meanwhile, The Abyss was based in Yeoncheon, Pocheon, and Gapyeong, and had recently been eyeing opportunities in Yangpyeong and Namyangju.

The reason The Abyss launched an all-out war in Dongducheon was simple.

Dongducheon had an abundance of dungeons.

Moreover, since it extended into The Abyss’s sphere of influence like a salient, it was advantageous for a three-sided attack.

This meant the defenders faced a disadvantageous structure, with an inevitably wider frontline.

In the original story, The Abyss had already collapsed by this time, and the Jeonghwa Guild had taken full control of northern Gyeonggi.

However, since Lee Hyun-seok was alive instead of assassinated, as in the original story, an unforeseen all-out war had broken out.

It was hard to predict who would win.

If all of the Jeonghwa Guild’s executives intervened, they might extinguish the flames of war early.

But considering Lee Hyun-seok’s tendency for impromptu and unconventional strategies…

And if Black Tiger and Red Tiger, who would even sacrifice their lives under his command, were fully mobilized?

Then, an easy victory couldn’t be guaranteed, and the lives of key executives could be at risk.

Even with level differences, the concept of immortality didn’t exist in the hunter world.

A hunter could meet an untimely death due to inferior strategy or relentless onslaught.

“Reaching out to catch up might just be an annoyance right now.”

Kang-hoo dismissed the idea of messaging Lee Hyun-seok.

Knowing his personality, Lee Hyun-seok wouldn’t ignore the contact, but now wasn’t the time to burden him with distractions.

With a cup of coffee in hand…

Kang-hoo stared at the rainy window, contemplating the tasks ahead.

First, there was the dungeon in Norway he planned to visit to intercept Jang Si-hwan and Chae Gwanhyeong’s serendipities.

According to the message from the Groo Guild, negotiations were still ongoing.

Since the dungeon required two participants, he was debating who to bring along but had mostly decided.

Meanwhile, the request from Germany, brokered by Lee Ye-rin, seemed to be nearing a response.

The opportunity to work with Ayane was exciting.

Moreover, acquiring a set item heightened the anticipation.

“North Korea.”

The keyword North Korea, which had been tempting Kang-hoo lately, naturally came to mind.

Considering plans like adding a bleeding effect to Shadow Step or farming during the Dark Age, a trip to North Korea was essential.

Due to the original story’s heavy burden of foreshadowing, the region was rife with unresolved plot threads and was the most knowledge-deficient area.

It intrigued Kang-hoo but also made him the most nervous.

Of course, visiting North Korea was a must for growth. Dreaming of growth without going there was impossible.

“Having too much to do isn’t bad. The real problem is having nothing to do and no means for growth.”

Kang-hoo nodded, reflecting on his jam-packed schedule.

A hunter’s existence was only meaningful through growth. Growth meant always having something to do.

In other words, if the day came when there was nothing to do…

That would signify the decline of their value as a hunter.

Rrrring.

Suddenly, his smartphone rang.

It was Kim Shin-ryeong.

She had said she wouldn’t contact him first unless she was ready to meet.

It seemed she was finally prepared.

“Are you ready?”

-Yes. Can you come to Pohang? I’ve been here the whole time but didn’t mention my location on purpose.

“I’ll head down on the first train.”

-Were you waiting?

“Not really. I was just resting after finishing some tasks. Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask you something.”

-What is it?

“I acquired some special materials. Could I trouble you for some crafting? And if you have any good items, could you sell them to me as well?”

-You’re asking me something as natural as breathing? Of course, come over and we’ll discuss it in person.

“Then I’ll contact you once I arrive at Pohang Station.”

-Sure. Just let me know your arrival time. I’ll come pick you up myself.

“Are you sure that’s alright?”

-I’m not old enough to have my license revoked yet. Don’t worry, it’s fine.

“Alright then, see you soon.”

The call ended.

At just the right moment, Kang-hoo received a timely call from Kim Shin-ryeong when he had a bit of spare time.

No matter how he thought about it, he seemed to have a knack for being busy. People seeking him out, tasks needing completion—they were endless.

The next day, at dawn.

Kang-hoo arrived in Pohang and immediately met Kim Shin-ryeong in front of the station.

Normally, she would wear a mask, but today, she revealed her natural face.

Though she often referred to her face as that of an old woman or a grandmother…

To Kang-hoo, her face looked remarkably youthful—young enough that subtracting 15 years from her actual age wouldn’t seem odd.

As soon as he got into her car, Kang-hoo realized it was essentially a massive armored fortress on wheels.

He had thought the car looked unusually weighed down even before getting in, and it turned out to be loaded with safety features.

“Looks like you’ve taken on the role of chauffeur today.”

“Picking up a guest, that’s all. Besides, I’m the one who asked to meet this time, so I came to get you.”

“Then I’ll just relax and enjoy the ride.”

“Of course, you should. With me driving personally, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Kim Shin-ryeong glanced at Kang-hoo through the rearview mirror and playfully winked at him.

Since Kang-hoo wasn’t the type to wink back, he just gave a small laugh.

“What’ve you been up to lately?”

“Well, I visited North Korea, captured the Swarm Queen, and got some bile. That’s the latest update.”

He left out the story about Pyeongtaek.

It wasn’t information she needed to know, nor did he have a reason to share it.

However, the North Korea story seemed harmless enough to disclose without any filtering.

“Bile? Did you just extract it straight from the corpse? That would’ve left a lot of impurities.”

Kim Shin-ryeong immediately reacted at the mention of bile.

Kang-hoo shook his head.

“No, I received it as a fully refined product.”

“Who refined it?”

“I’m not sure. Master K said he entrusted it directly to a craftsman.”

“Then that old man must’ve been in Korea.”

“That old man?”

“You don’t know who I mean?”

“No, Master K didn’t tell me who the craftsman was, so I have no idea.”

“The Swarm Queen’ bile… There’s only one person in the world who can refine it to 100% purity. The Celestial Assassin.”

“Ah…?”

“They refine poison with poison. No one but the Celestial Assassin could do it.”

The name Celestial Assassin came up in the most unexpected context.

The hunter Kang-hoo had planned to use his Skill Copy chance on was none other than the Celestial Assassin.

A renowned Chinese assassin and a hunter with much to teach. Was this person close to Master K?

“I hadn’t even considered that.”

“Since you’re both assassins, you should try to make his acquaintance. K probably kept quiet on purpose. Then again, the Celestial Assassin isn’t the type to meet just anyone.”

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Kim Shin-ryeong seemed to know quite a bit about the Celestial Assassin.

Kang-hoo started to wonder if there was some connection between Master K, the Celestial Assassin, and Kim Shin-ryeong.

‘Was the mentor K recommended for me the Celestial Assassin? This is getting interesting.’

It was an intriguing development.

However, Kang-hoo was well aware of the Celestial Assassin’s difficult and eccentric personality from the original story.

Whether the Celestial Assassin would truly become his mentor, as Master K had suggested, remained uncertain.

Kim Shin-ryeong shifted the topic.

“Anyway, I get the gist of what’s happened. By the way, what materials did you acquire? I didn’t catch that.”

“The Claws of Resentment.”

“How many?”

“I got 10 of them.”

“Wow, that’s quite a haul. This material is almost impossible to get domestically. You must’ve been lucky.”

“Seems that way.”

“That’s a material that only drops from bosses level 350 and above. It’s easy to find in China, but it’s entirely controlled there now.”

“It’s not something you can get through the market either. Even if it appears, it’s sold out immediately.”

“Exactly. So, you gathered the materials yourself?”

“Of course.”

“Every time I see you, I feel like you enjoy challenging dungeons way above your level.”

“It’s the only way the challenge feels appropriate.”

“Normally, that should come off as arrogant, but for some reason, I find it impressive. Haha.”

Kim Shin-ryeong laughed.

That was part of Kang-hoo’s charm.

It wasn’t surprising that K had taken an interest in him. And Kim Shin-ryeong herself was also quite intrigued.

From the beginning, he was on a completely different level, so it wasn’t strange to have high expectations of him.

Matching his challenges to his own level would only make dungeons feel dull and uninspiring.

Judging from the context, it seemed likely that Kang-hoo had soloed a level 350+ boss.

‘This guy really is something else.’

That was why he was so compelling. The desire to keep him close and watch his growth was irresistible.

Such feelings of attachment always arose whenever she looked at Kang-hoo. Though they weren’t romantic, of course.

‘Today’s going to be fun.’

Kim Shin-ryeong stepped on the accelerator, eager to reach her villa more quickly.

With crafting, selling items, and training summons on her agenda, today promised to be quite eventful.