The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

“Are you sure you’ve never seen it?”

“No. And even if I had, why would I tell you? I’m not obligated to, am I?”

“It wouldn’t hurt to cooperate with Eclipse. Wasn’t the eye on the back of your head warning enough?”

“Got eyes but no one to pull the trigger. What’s the matter? Afraid of a fight with our mercenary group?”

“Afraid? If Kang Dong-hyun himself showed up, you’d be dealt with swiftly, wouldn’t you?”

“Then tell him to show up. Always sitting in a chair like a bedroom fighter, all talk and no action.”

“So, you haven’t seen it? If it turns out you have, it won’t be ignored.”

“Get lost. Just go.”

Cha So-hee had been investigating Kang-hoo while wandering around the Daeyeon Station area in search of mercenary hangouts.

Her investigation led her to Lee Ye-rin, who was at a desk accepting applications for her mercenary group.

Lee Ye-rin’s mercenary group, Cheong-an (Blue Eye), and Eclipse had been at odds for a long time.

Both were rooted in the Daeyeon area and had already clashed over territorial rights.

Eclipse hadn’t wiped out Cheong-an earlier because Lee Ye-rin had solidly built up her network of contacts.

This was especially true since Lee Ye-rin allied with the criminal organization Heuksaja, which, like Cheong-an, was antagonistic towards Eclipse.

It was like an alliance formed for mutual checks and balances, reminiscent of the Wei, Shu, and Wu of the Three Kingdoms era.

In any case, it was a delicate balance of power, so no one dared to act rashly.

“Working hard, day and night, I see.”

“I told you to get lost.”

“Hmph.”

Cha So-hee irritated Lee Ye-rin to the end, then gracefully left the scene.

“Crazy woman.”

Lee Ye-rin cursed loudly enough for Cha So-hee to hear, then turned her head away. She thought to herself,

‘If Eclipse is sending out hounds to sniff around for Mr. Kang-hoo, they must be very interested in him.’

It seemed their aim was to capture Kang-hoo alive, not to kill him.

If they wanted him dead, they wouldn’t be asking around. They would track him quietly and then eliminate him.

Not doing so meant Kang Dong-hyun, the person who sent the hounds, was keenly observing Kang-hoo.

‘I thought from the start he had unusual skills…’

Lee Ye-rin’s interest in Kang-hoo was growing, so she understood the concern, but she didn’t like that Eclipse shared this sentiment.

‘I might just stir up some trouble. Hmph.’

Interfering with Cha So-hee’s search for Kang-hoo was easy.

Simply attach some eyes to her back. By tracking her movements, they could diminish her chances of meeting Kang-hoo.

And of course, they would inform Kang-hoo of her whereabouts.

Although Lee Ye-rin didn’t have a deep connection with Kang-hoo, she didn’t want him to get involved with Eclipse either.

She decided to take a bit more care of Kang-hoo, her client—a hunter who only took requests from the mercenary group.

In the long term, she also harbored the ambition of recruiting Kang-hoo not just as a client but as a member of her mercenary group.

“Chang-hyeon.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Call Gyo-seon. It’s about time we gave him some work.”

“Understood.”

Lee Ye-rin called her ‘eye’.

---

Kang-hoo erased thoughts of Cha So-hee with another round of Solarkium Burst.

If he weren’t living like a dead mouse, this kind of situation was almost inevitable.

Out of curiosity, he checked the hunter community and the official website operated by Eclipse.

There was no public bounty at their level, which meant they weren’t aiming to kill him.

This was something to ponder when he met Cha So-hee—a matter of probing intentions.

“One more drink.”

“This is the last one, customer. We’re running low on Solarkium supply…”

“It’s okay. This will be the last one.”

While waiting for the next drink, Kang-hoo got lost in thought.

After dealing with Heo Jeong-tae, he was planning his next move.

He could take a new request from Lee Ye-rin, but he wondered if there were other options.

The first thing that came to mind was Ground Zero.

Starting from the DMZ, once known as the demilitarized zone, it stretched into the former territories of North Korea.

An area empty of humans but teeming with monsters, which hunters referred to as Ground Zero.

From Sariwon in the west to Wonsan in the east, the entire expanse was Ground Zero.

You could enter without special permission. Of course, you were responsible for your own safety.

“It’s great for leveling up, and more importantly, it’s the place to find Mad Solarkium.”

Mad Solarkium.

A more concentrated form of Solarkium.

It offered a stronger calming effect, granting about 30 minutes of ‘freedom’ from mana hypersensitivity upon consumption.

Of course, a significant backlash ensued, but it proved to be a substantial aid in battle.

Mad Solarkium was difficult to come by, rarely found, and not available on the market.

To acquire it, you had to search Ground Zero by foot.

“After all, this is a space I created.”

In the original story, Ground Zero was the place where ‘Shin Kang-hoo’ lured two of The Thirteen Stars and defeated them.

As the original creator, he recalled the useful locations since he had mapped out the terrain.

He wasn’t acquainted with every detail, but he felt confident in locating a few field bosses and Mad Solarkium.

“Here’s your Solarkium Burst.”

A reticent male bartender with glasses passed Kang-hoo his latest Solarkium Burst.

Five cocktail glasses stacked beside him were a testament to Kang-hoo’s consistent preference.

Just then,

the sole door to the modern bar on the third floor rattled, and a man walked in.

He looked around as soon as he entered, spotted Kang-hoo beginning to sip his drink, and exclaimed,

“Bro! Did I keep you waiting too long? The guys uncle promised haven’t shown up yet!”

He gestured with his hand and his tone seemed light-hearted.

However, his eyes betrayed a serious tremor.

Kang-hoo observed him without much reaction and casually glanced over his shoulder.

Two men in outfits that were meant to be inconspicuous – yet were anything but – were peeking inside from the doorway.

Their gazes alternated between the man and Kang-hoo, quickly averting when they met Kang-hoo’s eyes.

The man, oblivious still, took a seat across from Kang-hoo and resumed talking.

His eyes had steadied, but his hands on the table trembled slightly.

“Bro, you’ve been well, right?”

“The tails are gone for now.”

“Ah…”

The man flinched as Kang-hoo calmly mentioned that their two followers had vanished.

“I understand the situation, but I hate to involve innocent people.”

“…I’m really sorry. I didn’t think it through.”

The man looked downcast at Kang-hoo’s cold remark and rose from his seat.

Then, Kang-hoo noted the constellation information above the man and tilted his head slightly.

[Eye of Truth, An Yeong-ho]

[A neutral constellation. Forces others to speak the truth, but the user must also always speak the truth.]

‘Eye of Truth, An Yeong-ho.’

The name surfaced in his thoughts.

He was a character destined to oppose the Jeonghwa Guild alongside Shin Kang-hoo in the original story.

A character who loathed the Jeonghwa Guild until his last breath.

His end was marked by a violent death, taking Shin Tae-seok, third in command of the Jeonghwa Guild, with him in mutual destruction. His hatred ran that deep.

An Yeong-ho’s entrance into the tale was set to occur three years hence.

Furthermore, the main setting was Japan, not Korea.

The explanation was straightforward: his uncle held the position of vice-master in the Rikou Guild, one of Japan’s foremost guilds.

He had no reason to jeopardize his safety in Korea with such a powerful support network in Japan.

So why was he in Korea now?

‘Did his disdain for the Jeonghwa Guild stem from some mishap during his time in Korea?’

It was a detail not found in the original, but it aligned with his tragic fate and the past that had been reshaped.

It was merely conjecture, but the two followers might belong to the Jeonghwa Guild.

An Yeong-ho was a figure of significance.

With the Rikou Guild of Japan firmly backing him, he had a lot of potential value.

At that point, he would have been incredibly weak.

Especially as a healer, he would have been even worse at combat.

That’s probably why he couldn’t confront or shake off the followers and ended up here.

The cold wind lingered and passed by the empty spot left by the pitifully departing An Yeong-ho.

Thump!

Kang-hoo downed the remaining Solarkium Burst in one gulp and stood up.

He caught An Yeong-ho’s shoulder just as he was about halfway down the stairs.

“Wait a moment.”

“…Yes?”

“Summarize the situation. Briefly.”

“I left the Jeonghwa Guild, and since then I’ve been followed. But I don’t know who they are.”

It was as he suspected.

If things had followed the original course, An Yeong-ho would have been ‘kidnapped’ by the Jeonghwa Guild there.

After that, his life would have become completely entangled, and his hatred for them would have grown.

“Stay here.”

Kang-hoo stopped An Yeong-ho and successfully hid in the shadows with a lateral movement.

Looking down through the window from one floor below, he saw an out-of-place scene.

The two followers he had seen earlier were smoking near the entrance.

No one else was around, and right next to the followers was an unidentified black van.

‘This is too sloppy.’

They wouldn’t have just blocked the entrance.

Technically, there were exits both below and above the building.

It seemed they had blatantly blocked the entrance, practically directing him to the rooftop.

‘As usual, they’re more systematic when it comes to wrongdoing. This must be Chae Gwanhyeong’s influence.’

The plan was set to rescue An Yeong-ho.

Not out of half-hearted sympathy or pity, but because of An Yeong-ho’s great potential value.

Moreover, if he became the ‘savior’ who saved the life of An Yeong-ho, who takes everything seriously and is emotional?

He would try to repay the favor in any way possible.

That was just his nature.

In the original story, although he was a villain from the Jeonghwa Guild’s perspective, he was like an angel to the Rikou Guild.

“Wait. I’ll clear the way to the rooftop.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll deal with those above. Just come up after me.”

“Thank you. Really…”

“Let’s save the thanks until everything is sorted out. Just wait on the 4th floor stairs. The rooftop is next after the 5th floor.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Pop.

Kang-hoo quickly vanished again into stealth mode with a lateral move as soon as he finished speaking.

An Yeong-ho looked around in surprise, but couldn’t sense Kang-hoo’s presence.

Meanwhile.

Kang-hoo leaped from the open window, climbing up one floor at a time using a leap technique.

Although he had to support his entire weight with his arms, his increased strength and stamina made it possible.

Moreover, there were no hunters nearby, and since he wasn’t using attack skills, his stealth remained intact.

As Kang-hoo moved from the 3rd to the 4th, then to the 5th floor and the railing.

Neither the two followers on the first floor nor the two hunters already positioned on the rooftop noticed his presence.

The next moment.

Kang-hoo leaped from the railing and headed towards the two hunters guarding the entrance to the rooftop.