NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10: Suppression (3)
Kim Mok-hyun saw a demon for the first time in his life.
Thud!
The first thing Kang-hoo did was trip the staggering Kim Mok-hyun, ensuring he fell to the ground.
This was because attacking an opponent from a prone position is very difficult, whether with magic or a sword.
The same applied to defense.
Defending from below, looking up, is challenging because it goes against gravity.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
“Aaaagh!”
Kim Mok-hyun, usually so talkative, was in so much pain that he couldn’t utter another word.
It was because Kang-hoo, who had knocked him down, continued to stab his wounded side with a dagger.
He showed no concern for Kim Mok-hyun’s blood-splattered face or his writhing like a freshly caught carp, screaming in agony.
Dismantle, dismantle, and dismantle again.
He mercilessly subdued Kim Mok-hyun, as if stripping the flesh from a person.
Overcome with pain, Kim Mok-hyun couldn’t even consider retaliating against Kang-hoo.
[The Constellation 'Master of Mobile Warfare' highly praises your attack strategy as an excellent tactic.]
[A small amount of divine power is consumed to give you a slight buff.]
[Experience increase +0.1%]
Unexpected support arrived.
It is common knowledge that numerous constellations watch over hunters.
However, receiving their support is rare, as it requires the use of ‘divine power.’
The fact that they expended some of their limited resources meant its value was significant.
There’s a big difference between mere verbal support and support that is genuinely useful.
[Ignore this pathetic support from a lowly constellation. It even diminishes my own dignity as your contracted master.]
Hearing the words of the Dimension Plunderer, Kang-hoo nodded.
His reaction, often driven by jealousy, should be interpreted as the opposite. It meant the support received was quite significant.
“Cough! Cough!”
Meanwhile, Kim Mok-hyun, who had been silently enduring the stabbings, finally showed a reaction.
That response signified…
His death was imminent.
His limp arms, stuck to the cold concrete floor, signified his lost will.
“Cruel bastard…”
Words and blood mixed as they emerged.
His irregular breathing signaled that his body had surpassed its endurance limit.
“It’s just the beginning.”
“You think capturing someone like me will change anything?”
“If capturing a worthless person like you could change the world, I wouldn’t have considered living in the first place.”
“What…?”
“Just die quietly.”
Crack!
Kang-hoo summoned his strength and drove the tip of his longsword through Kim Mok-hyun’s forehead with precision.
It was an unequivocal instant death.
[You have killed the target and stolen the contract with 'Fighter of Chaos.']
[All abilities of 'Fighter of Chaos' are now inherited by you.]
[Don't worry about this Constellation with a gag in its mouth. I will subdue it myself.]
The constellation theft also transpired quickly.
Given that the Dimension Plunderer immediately interjected a comment, it seemed to experience struggle during the subjugation.
By absorbing the constellation, Kang-hoo naturally gained its abilities as well.
There were two in total.
One was a skill used by Kim Mok-hyun, and the other, unused, was new.
[Sight Steal]
[Shallow Chaos]
As proficiency peaked, the skill became significantly more potent than the version Kim Mok-hyun had employed.
Sight Steal now gradually turned the opponent’s vision to darkness while restoring it, making it more vicious.
Shallow Chaos induced disorientation and warped the surrounding visuals, a doubly twisted effect.
“Jang Si-hwan didn’t grow this fast from the start. I made it quite difficult for him.”
Had Jang Si-hwan begun at the same point, Kang-hoo’s progress would be several times faster.
Kang-hoo meticulously examined the composition of his newly acquired abilities.
All synergized perfectly with his assassin class.
“I’m not into undressing men, but…”
Kang-hoo’s eyes widened as he began to search Kim Mok-hyun’s cooling body.
He needed to strip it entirely.
That was the only way to recover all the items Kim was wearing.
For items like belts, they were often worn under clothing for aesthetic reasons, necessitating a more thorough search.
As Kang-hoo recovered many items from Kim Mok-hyun, a thought occurred to him.
“Why modern hunters don’t frequent dungeons.”
The answer was simple.
Instead of struggling in dungeons,
it was more lucrative to kill well-equipped hunters and take their gear.
The recovery process was swift.
All except for one item, which he had to return to Lee Ye-rin, became Kang-hoo’s property.
“He made quite a profit. Using those crepuscular wolves, he must’ve had his way with every hunter that came by.”
Kang-hoo gazed coldly at the corpse of the crepuscular wolf outside the building.
Deploying these creatures to handle intruders or for surprise attacks during combat must have been Kim’s tactic.
It was no surprise that Kim had so many items, given the hunters who had fallen here.
[Evil Spirit's Amulet - Amulet]
[Mollis Maniche - Gloves]
[Asura's Insight - Breastplate]
[Martial God's Play - Ring]
He equipped these first since they didn’t overlap with his current gear.
He checked each item’s composition, planning a more detailed examination of the options when he had time.
[Evil Spirit's Amulet]
[Grade: None]
[Consumes 1 mana per second to enter an 'Awakened' state. Reduces skill casting time.]
“Figures.”
Kim Mok-hyun’s confidence, manifesting as deep purple flames, must have stemmed from this amulet.
If he could quickly manage or suppress mana hypersensitivity, it would be an excellent amulet for Kang-hoo.
Aside from what he donned, the twelve Grade 9 items he secured were all destined for sale.
Even at the lowest price, they would fetch over 1 million won each, totaling at least 12 million won.
“It’d be nice to hit level 20 on my way out.”
He reached level 18 after killing ten crepuscular wolves. Precisely around 18.5, perhaps?
He intended to reach level 20 within the dungeon.
Attaining that would grant him Accelerated Stab, an essential skill and a lifeline for any assassin.
“Level 20… Considering that guy is now level 800, there’s no lower lowlife than me.”
With a long path of leveling ahead, Kang-hoo gazed up at the sky, his eyes turning cold.
The clouds appeared near yet remained out of reach.
That’s exactly where Jang Si-hwan resided.
Yet, the world continued to turn perfectly in the hands of the powerful, stunning in its beauty.
“Hyungnim, he’s emerged.”
“Where’d he go? He’s drenched in blood.”
“There are always those who backstab in dungeons. He probably just beat up some blind hunter and got his fill.”
As Kang-hoo’s memory gradually faded, he once again came into Osan Suho’s view.
Jo Young-jae noticed Kang-hoo as well.
Despite being touted as Osan Suho’s number three, he was essentially a local thug, not even on par with warlords or guilds.
It was only the lack of interest from warlords and criminal organizations in Osan that allowed him to play the role of a boss.
“Hyungnim, should I fetch him?”
“Bring him here. I want to see his face.”
Jo Young-jae gave a nod.
Truth be told, even if they caught Kang-hoo, they couldn’t steal his skills.
But merely catching Jo Young-jae’s eye was enough to irk him.
A level 65 berserker hunter.
His contract constellation was none other than ‘Bloodthirsty Predator’.
Yet, despite his strength, he was envious of Kang-hoo. The sense of inferiority was intolerable.
Osan Suho’s ten hunters ceased their pursuit and encircled Kang-hoo.
“Hey, you.”
“Eh? Just a moment. I’ve got something to take care of.”
“Quiet and follow us.”
“But I said wait.”
Kang-hoo had just attained level 20 and was in the process of checking the newly unlocked Bleeding Stab skill.
[Bleeding Stab]
[Skill Proficiency: Lv. Max]
[Stacks a 'Bleeding' status from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 50 on the target.]
[From 10 stacks, healing abilities become limited.]
[Stacks build up if the next attack occurs within 2 seconds; otherwise, the stacks reset.]
The skill, once named Accelerated Stab, had changed its name and nature entirely upon reaching maximum proficiency.
The bleeding trait was only available to assassins and berserkers.
Even then, both classes could only access it as a constant option after they acquired the basic skill at level 200.
It was a significantly distant milestone.
Bleeding as a status effect made a perfect counter to healers and even bosses’ self-healing, marking it as one of the scarcest and most strategically valuable skills for hunters.
Even in teams formed for dungeon assaults, the first priority for recruitment wasn’t healers but bleed dealers.
‘If it weren’t for the mana consumption with each use of Bleeding Stab, it would be an excellent skill.’
Thanks to attaining maximum proficiency, the skill’s identity had completely transformed, and he was quite fond of the new capabilities.
Of course, his fondness was for the skill itself, not the situation he found himself in.
When Kang-hoo didn’t respond, a hunter with pomade-styled hair threatened him.
“Has this kid got nails in his ears? Can’t you hear?”
The object that barely grazed his chin at that moment was the hunter’s dagger.
It was a threatening gesture, but Kang-hoo, his expression unchanging, stared back at the hunter.
“Alright, I’m done here. What do you want?”
“Our Hyungnim wants to see you. You know who Jo Young-jae Hyungnim is, right?”
“Do I really need to know him?”
“That… thing?”
“Where is it? Show me.”
Then,
“Has he lost his mind, spouting nonsense for a while now? This bastard…”
As the enraged hunter exerted force on his dagger, aiming to thrust it under Kang-hoo’s chin,
Kang-hoo, in an awakened state, sprang forward, sending the hunter’s hand flying into the air.
It wasn’t just a simple deflection; he used the propulsion from his skill to sever the wrist.
“Aaaagh!”
The hunter, whose right hand had been cleanly sliced off, recoiled in horror.
The severed right hand flopped on the ground, ownerless.
Was it really this easy to cut off a person’s hand?
“Shit, shit, what the hell is this guy?”
Faced with Kang-hoo’s response, as though he only lived for the moment, the hunters of Osan Suho stepped back a few paces.