The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

A precarious tightrope walk.

Kang-hoo strategically allowed himself to be hit by the green fist, capitalizing on the heightened focus granted by Park Dong-jae’s buffs.

The translucent reserve experience points stacking at the top of the experience bar felt peculiar.

Each time he was struck, the reserve experience points filled up, rapidly reaching the end of the bar.

After taking a few more hits, a new line appeared at the top, stacking additional reserve experience points.

These pre-stacked points were enough to significantly raise his level.

If he could just defeat Deseo, the reserve experience would convert into actual experience, likely shooting his level straight to 255.

“Sorry, Park Dong-jae, but this one’s a solo feast.”

Kang-hoo glanced at Park Dong-jae.

While it would have been nice to share the benefits, the green fist’s effect was not something one could freeload off without effort.

Ssshhh.

Deseo soon switched to the yellow fist, likely because the green fist’s duration had run out.

‘I’ve laid enough groundwork just by narrowly managing to take the hits from the green fist.’

Kang-hoo’s eyes gleamed.

For an assassin, the best scenario is reading the opponent’s thoughts and crafting a counter-strategy.

At this point, Deseo believed he had landed effective blows—at least from his perspective—and his morale was high.

In truth, Kang-hoo had miscalculated and taken deeper hits than intended at times.

Because of this, Deseo was likely to maintain his offensive, barring unforeseen circumstances.

‘If I keep taking it for a bit longer and counterattack in one decisive move, I’ll nail the perfect timing.’

The picture became clear in his mind.

What happens when you try to push someone from behind, only for them to anticipate it and dodge suddenly?

Not only does the plan fail, but the one pushing might injure themselves in the process.

It was no different here.

Deseo, brimming with confidence from pressing Kang-hoo, did not expect a sudden counterattack.

Even a single counter could deal catastrophic damage—or even kill. Kang-hoo would not miss such an opportunity.

Thus, Kang-hoo decided to feign submission to Deseo’s aggression.

The strategy was to exploit his opponent’s aggression and create an opening for a counter. If it worked, the effects would be remarkable.

Kang-hoo sent a prearranged finger signal to Park Dong-jae, who nodded in response.

Throughout the prolonged battle, whenever the pattern of summoning mini Deseos emerged, Park Dong-jae had cleverly used buffs to harass them, easing the fight.

When mini Deseos capable of casting magic appeared, he even overused concentration buffs to kill them.

The over-boosted mental focus overwhelmed the mini Deseos’ pitiful brains, leading to their deaths in such a bizarre manner.

Both Kang-hoo and Park Dong-jae were surprised at how well the method worked when they first tried it.

It felt like watching an overloaded computer crash for good. That’s how the monsters died.

“Kuoooh!”

Deseo, still exuding confidence, charged at Kang-hoo without hesitation.

Fueled by his earlier successes, his initial caution had largely faded.

【Shadow Step】

Kang-hoo activated Shadow Step, but Deseo ignored the shadows and pursued Kang-hoo’s main body.

Kang-hoo had convincingly acted as though he had lost the will to fight, retreating dramatically.

His dagger slashing at thin air was a masterclass in method acting.

Some might argue, “Isn’t a fair fight the true mark of victory?”

But then again, dying in a fair fight—isn’t that the ultimate defeat? The dead have no voice.

Life or death determines fate.

No matter how heroic the death, the world remembers only that one is gone, not how gallant the fall was.

Winning at all costs—that’s what had driven Kang-hoo to continuous victories without faltering. Deseo would be no exception.

Then it happened.

‘Now.’

The perfect moment to strike from behind Deseo presented itself. His weight shifted forward sharply.

Until now, he had kept his center of gravity balanced, as if guarded by an internal mechanism.

But his conviction of victory had driven him to lean forward for the first time.

Whoosh!

Kang-hoo instantly swapped places with the shadow behind Deseo.

Combining Park Dong-jae’s acceleration buff and his own speed skill, Kang-hoo launched himself toward Deseo’s nape using his leap skill.

【Decapitation】

Without hesitation, he drove his blade into the back of Deseo’s neck.

“Graaaaah!”

Deseo let out a scream.

No matter how thick the flesh at the back of his neck was, it couldn’t withstand the sharp edge of the blade.

Ordinarily, Kang-hoo would have followed up with additional attacks after a Decapitation. But this time, he changed his strategy.

From their earlier encounters, Kang-hoo knew Deseo was not only resilient but also remarkably tolerant of pain.

So, when the counterattack landed, Kang-hoo decided against prolonging the battle, which might give Deseo a chance to recover.

【Blood Flower】

Boom!

A burst of crimson flowers erupted.

At that moment, the explosion of blood from Deseo’s neck caused his head to twist grotesquely forward.

The force drove his body forward, leaving his line of sight buried in the ground and losing track of Kang-hoo.

【Flames of Death】

Kang-hoo capitalized on this moment, unleashing the Flames of Death directly into Deseo’s exposed nape.

The purpose of the flames was to inflict maximum pain on Deseo. Killing him outright with this was unlikely.

“Urghhh!”

Deseo let out a pained groan, engulfed in the roaring flames consuming his neck.

Not only was his neck wounded, but the explosion had damaged his muscles and bones as well.

The exposed raw flesh being scorched further made it impossible for his body to endure.

Even with mental fortitude and endurance, this level of pain was beyond ordinary limits.

While Deseo trembled uncontrollably, consumed by vengeance for Kang-hoo,

【Line of Distortion】

Kang-hoo was preparing the next phase.

The Line of Distortion, pulled taut to its limit, maintained tension at an appropriate height.

Judging by its position, it aligned perfectly with the midpoint of Deseo’s neck.

In the next moment,

As Deseo, unable to pinpoint Kang-hoo’s location, flailed in confusion, Kang-hoo reached out.

【Abduction】

The follow-up: Abduction!

Though less frequently used recently as enemies became more formidable,

Against an unguarded opponent, it remained an effective skill.

In the blink of an eye,

“Whoaah!”

Deseo was dragged horizontally toward Kang-hoo without a chance to resist.

In normal circumstances, this would’ve been a foolish move, closing the distance between Kang-hoo and Deseo.

But with the “murder plan” meticulously in place, the moment Deseo was abducted, it was already over.

Unaware of the Line of Distortion, Deseo was pulled through the air, flailing aimlessly.

Thunk!

His neck hit the taut, razor-sharp Line of Distortion, slicing cleanly through.

His head dropped lifelessly below the line, cleanly severed in a horizontal motion.

Thud!

Deseo’s decapitated body flailed wildly like a headless chicken before collapsing.

【Level has increased significantly to 255!】

The level-up message appeared.

All the reserve experience points converted into actual experience, yielding a massive reward.

Without pre-stacked points, Kang-hoo would’ve barely reached level 250 through conventional means.

“Hyung! My level skyrocketed!”

Even Park Dong-jae, who hadn’t pre-stacked experience, was astonished at his sudden level gain.

As for Kang-hoo, who had deliberately boosted his level, his elation was immeasurable.

Shhhh.

At that moment, spheres of different colors rose from Deseo’s corpse.

Unlike item drops or skill books, these had a unique effect, resembling marbles.

Simultaneously, a message displayed to both Kang-hoo and Park Dong-jae.

【These spheres are individually activated rewards for each hunter.】

【Touch the sphere of your desired color to enter the reward space.】

【You may remain inside for 10 minutes, after which you will be expelled automatically.】

‘Finally.’

Kang-hoo’s heart pounded.

He had successfully redirected the major rewards, which would have gone to Jang Si-hwan and Chae Gwanhyeong, to himself and Park Dong-jae.

This wasn’t just about stealing.

He had advanced a step forward while pushing his opponents a step back—a two-step gap achieved.

Taking what was theirs and making it his had profound significance.

“Hyung, is this real? I’ve never seen rewards activated individually like this. Is it custom-tailored?”

“We’ll find out inside.”

Kang-hoo smiled as he answered.

He didn’t want to get overly excited, confident there’d be good rewards—it would all be clear inside.

“Why are my hands shaking so much?”

Park Dong-jae’s trembling finger pointed toward the marble-like sphere.

“Go ahead.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll join you soon.”

He gestured toward the spheres with his chin.

The choice of sphere didn’t change the reward; whichever one was chosen would provide a personalized benefit.

“Do I deserve this reward?”

“Park Dong-jae, I’ve told you before—don’t worry about whether you deserve something. Focus on what you’ll do with it once you have it.”

“……”

“Just go in already.”

“Ugh! Okay!”

Kang-hoo, cutting off Park Dong-jae’s sentimental monologue, shoved him forward.

Pop!

Park Dong-jae reflexively grabbed a sphere and vanished instantly.

Kang-hoo planned to extract Deseo’s skills before entering.

He had hoped the signal fist ability would be classified as a skill, but unfortunately, it wasn’t.

It seemed to be an innate trait—a unique characteristic gained at birth.

“Let’s see….”

He reviewed the skill list.

Although Deseo had mainly used the signal fists in battle, the stolen skill list was surprisingly long.

However, few of the skills were practical for Kang-hoo, which explained why Deseo hadn’t used them in battle.

But one skill caught his eye—it seemed puzzling that it wasn’t utilized during the fight.

Had Deseo deemed his fists sufficient? Or had he missed the timing?

【Tricolor Formation】

Kang-hoo’s gaze lingered on the description of this highly versatile skill.