The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

A short time later.

Kang-hoo encountered the main boss in the wilderness and immediately engaged in a fierce battle.

It was called a battle, but he was busy dodging the relentless onslaught of the opponent’s attacks.

“Just crazy.”

Kang-hoo smirked bitterly.

Shadow Black Mage, Alisha.

A female boss monster with an androgynous, strangely enchanting voice.

Of course, that wasn’t her only feature.

Her combat abilities felt overwhelming, making even Kim Mok-hyun’s skills seem insignificant.

From the start, Kang-hoo couldn’t approach her because of the relentless assault of her black magic.

The more troublesome part was that:

Alisha covered her frontal defense with attacks targeting Kang-hoo.

For defense in other directions, she used a circular skill that revolved around her body.

It’s usually called protective magic. It constantly rotates, targeting approaching enemies.

‘Because of that, leaping and sidestepping are practically sealed.’

Sidestepping would move him to Alisha’s rear, right at the edge of the protective magic.

In other words, even if he successfully sidestepped, he would be hit by the protective magic and immediately lose his stealth.

Naturally, he’d be exposed to the damage of the protective magic, inevitably getting wounded.

He was worried about Alisha’s boss skill, Blood Flower.

Once a certain level of damage accumulated, she would use Blood Flower.

Then, Kang-hoo’s wounds and flowing blood would act as a catalyst, causing an explosion.

With his already low health, he wouldn’t be surprised if Blood Flower instantly killed him.

Of course, Kang-hoo wasn’t the only one finding Alisha troublesome.

Alisha was also dissatisfied with not having landed a single attack since the battle started.

Main bosses have the feature of sharing data from past battles, even after dungeon resets.

Hence, Alisha had data from various battles.

However, there was no one like Kang-hoo, who hadn’t been hit even once at the beginning of the fight.

She might have halted his advance, but that was all.

From a defensive perspective, it might have been a success, but offensively, it was merely a waste of mana without any effect.

Moreover, since Kang-hoo easily evaded with leap skills, her assessment of his abilities was inadequate.

While Alisha glared at Kang-hoo, searching for another opening,

Kang-hoo, too, was intently observing her, lending importance to their current confrontation.

‘Troublesome, but that’s what makes it interesting.’

Every phase of the battle was fraught with danger and challenge.

But it was only at this level that he would feel a sense of true accomplishment and growth upon winning.

Honestly, if he stuck to opponents appropriate for his level, it would be easy. A few strikes and they would fall.

But his growth would then plateau, and he might not acquire any valuable Plunder skills.

The reason Kang-hoo advanced so much faster than other hunters was straightforward.

He was hoarding experience from dungeons far above his level, making growth a certainty.

An average hunter would need at least a fortnight to progress, even with full guild support.

That was the bare minimum, and with rest and waiting periods included, it nearly amounted to a month.

“Hmm…”

Kang-hoo, who seldom made a sound, emitted a hum for the first time in a long while.

He had already used up two Solarkiums in what was nothing more than a skirmish without a direct clash.

‘I seem to have grasped her pattern of attack. The only skill I’ve shown is my leap.’

Kang-hoo, despite being at a disadvantage in the situation, believed he had a strategic upper hand. There was good reason for this belief.

It appeared to be time to make a decisive move.

‘Master of defense, that’s just a fallacy. A stalemate is never a triumph. It’s merely an excuse for those without skill.’

Whoosh!

Kang-hoo’s body surged forward, charging in a direction he had not attempted before.

He had elegantly dodged Alisha’s attacks to the left, right, and with backward leaps until now.

Now, he had to dodge forward while charging, a highly difficult maneuver, yet necessary.

Especially when facing stronger bosses or hunters than Alisha, he would have to do this routinely.

Opting for the obvious evasion to the left, right, or backward would mean instant death from a single attack.

‘I see. It’s clear.’

Kang-hoo’s inherent talent, his excellent focus, and remarkable dynamic vision, shone brightly.

Though Alisha’s black magic was fast, he could predict its trajectory with clarity.

Whoosh!

He ducked to avoid the first purple flame that came at him.

Since the purple flame couldn’t fly at low altitudes, he managed to evade by lowering his body.

Alisha wasn’t easy to deal with, either.

At that moment, her second spell, a wind arrow, flew low to the ground.

This attack was entirely different from the previous ones. The wind arrow could fly at a very low altitude.

“Huff!”

Exhaling sharply, Kang-hoo leaped into the air. Aerial evasion was most suitable in this situation.

‘As expected.’

Having already timed her jump, Alisha was linking her next attack to Kang-hoo.

She truly was befitting a main boss.

Her attack flow had no gaps. It was almost embarrassing to compare her to the trio of defenders from before.

Kang-hoo had anticipated Alisha’s relentless attacks and planned his next countermeasure.

[Illusion Technique]

Swoosh!

Kang-hoo’s body scattered.

The Illusion Technique provided propulsion, subtly altering his trajectory in the air.

No deliberate change in direction was needed; the movement naturally twisted.

Whoosh!

Narrowly missing Alisha’s next spell, it was Kang-hoo’s turn.

Without hesitation, he used his Kidnap skill.

A mage must be dragged in and beaten up close!

This was an unchanging truth.

The next moment.

“Kyaaak!”

A high-pitched scream, unlike Alisha’s usual composed demeanor, echoed through the area.

The main boss realized that the situation had turned against her, just as Kang-hoo had intended.

‘Crazy.’

Even while being dragged in, Alisha fiercely conjured magic in both hands.

It was a desperate struggle, and she was not easily defeated.

Her spirit was commendable, worthy of a main boss.

If it came to a clash, Kang-hoo could land a hit on her, but he risked a severe counterattack.

Crunch!

Kang-hoo, who had been saving his Solarkium, now put it in his mouth and chewed it thoroughly.

It seemed necessary to prevent a sudden explosion of mana hypersensitivity.

Just before colliding with Alisha,

Kang-hoo deployed a sidestep, moving behind her.

Initially, he had planned to deal with her with a dagger immediately after dragging her in, but he strategically abandoned that plan.

He then expanded a protective barrier.

It was time to unleash all his strategically reserved skills at once.

Crackling!

The protective barrier collided with Alisha’s shield, causing a fierce reaction.

It was like testing which of two hot griddles was hotter by stacking them against each other.

With the protective barrier absorbing the shield’s impact, Kang-hoo had a perfect opportunity for a free attack.

Unfortunately for Alisha, her reaction was a half-beat too slow, probably due to overconfidence in her shield’s power.

She likely didn’t expect an assassin to possess such a defensive skill.

Thanks to this, he gained the advantage of that half-beat.

Instinctively, his body moved before his mind, his hand already stretching forward.

Thrust!

“Aaaah…!”

The dagger pierced deep into her left side, causing her immense pain.

[Flame Attribute Added]

Kang-hoo then added a flame attribute to the dagger he held.

There was no better attribute than fire to deepen wounds and hasten the journey to death.

As he poured his mana into it, the dagger rapidly heated up, feeling as though it had just been pulled from a furnace.

“Damn it.”

The curse he had been holding back burst forth.

Pouring all his mana in one go, it felt as if his brain were draining along with it.

Despite his body writhing in pain, his clear mind forced him in front of Alisha.

And then,

“You’re not the only stubborn one!”

Kang-hoo, gripping the dagger tightly with both hands, powerfully plunged it into the upper part of her chest.

It was like melting hot metal burning through bone and flesh.

“…!”

Even Alisha, a main boss with a fairly strong body, couldn’t withstand the dagger.

It wasn’t just a simple stabbing but more like pouring molten iron from a furnace.

The skin melted, the flesh melted.

Then, as the bones melted away, the frail heart hidden inside couldn’t withstand it.

Numerous enemies – hunters – that Alisha had faced flashed through her mind like a zoetrope.

And she realized.

Sometimes the life of a main boss can end so insignificantly, so pathetically…

It was a performance that would have been admirable if she were an ally.

From start to finish, Kang-hoo’s responses and tactics were clean.

Including not showing his skills strategically, everything was well-planned.

Boom!

Alisha, fallen, couldn’t revive her severed breath, despite her bulging eyes.

[Your level has drastically increased to 32.]

His level jumped three steps at once.

At the same time, the basic level 30 assassin skill ‘Acceleration’ was automatically added.

A variety of accelerations, such as attack and movement acceleration, were most useful for Kang-hoo.

Furthermore, with maximum proficiency applied immediately, the range and extensibility of ‘Acceleration’ were beyond imagination.

[The following skills can be plundered from the target with 'Plunder' activated.]

[Blood Flower]

And the boss skill ‘Blood Flower,’ which he had been anticipating from the start, was also acquired.

The skill was unmatched by any other hunter.

Its utility was limitless.

It could create a decisive wound at the battle’s outset.