Chapter 282: Engagement (3)
“You’re just a disposable assassin brat!”
Unlike the mage’s confused expression, the swordsman charged at Kang-hoo once again.
His body leapt into the air.
‘Leap Slam.’
Kang-hoo recognized the skill.
It was a level 400 basic skill for swordsmen, nicknamed Frog Jump.
Despite the name, it was one of the more powerful skills available.
Because it involved a leap followed by a slam, the destructive force from the impact was unimaginable.
Judging from the skill effect swirling around the swordsman, his strength stat seemed incredibly high.
Since the destructive force of the slam scales with strength, it was impossible to ignore the threat.“……”
Kang-hoo waited as long as he could.
If you’re going to dodge, the best time is when the enemy gets close enough.
Dodging too early only gives your opponent time to think of their next move.
But if the attack misses by a razor-thin margin, they’ll hesitate to consider what to do next.
That hesitation gives an assassin like Kang-hoo the perfect moment to reposition and strike at an opening.
Bang! Thwump!
Meanwhile, Ayane and the mage exchanged blows from a distance.
Ayane’s sniper shot was blocked by the mage’s shield. The mage could be seen setting up shields all over.
As long as the two of them kept each other occupied, that was good enough for Kang-hoo.
Finally, just as the swordsman’s Leap Slam brought him right in front of Kang-hoo—!
【Leap】
Kang-hoo poured all his strength into his legs and sprang backward.
At the same time, he activated a skill targeting the exact spot where the swordsman would land. It was part of the plan from the start.
【Collapse】
“Uagh!”
Caught in the pit created by Collapse, the swordsman flailed his arms as he fell downward.
Kang-hoo also leaped back, but since he was still in the skill’s range, he got caught in it too.
The only difference was, Kang-hoo had planned for it from the start.
His body naturally tilted forward, and gravity helped accelerate him.
While drifting toward the 8 o’clock direction, Kang-hoo stepped off a dirt wall and leapt again.
Fwhoosh!
With a loud thud against the soil, the gap between Kang-hoo and the swordsman closed in an instant.
It was a sharp follow-up attack chained from Grand Decapitation—but the swordsman wasn’t so easily caught.
Clang!
“Tch.”
The swordsman crossed his greatsword diagonally, successfully defending the upper part of his body from Kang-hoo’s strike.
His guard was focused on his upper body.
That made sense—against an assassin, there was little reason to worry about defending the lower half.
If an assassin tried to duck in and go for the legs, the swordsman could just strike downward from above.
In fact, putting his weight behind it might land a clean hit, so he’d welcome that kind of approach.
So then—
【Qi Blast】
Kang-hoo launched another Qi Blast aimed at the swordsman’s upper body.
His repeated upper attacks were meant to set up for something else from below.
He was aiming for an angle to use Soaring Slash. To do that, he needed the enemy’s guard to stay focused upward.
“Wha…?”
Though flustered, the swordsman activated his blade’s barrier to block the incoming Qi Blast.
At the same time, he looked dumbfounded. A Qi Blast coming from an assassin? Really?
Just then—
Kang-hoo glanced outside the pit and noticed Ayane had made her way to the edge.
With a bit of breathing room in her duel, she seemed to be using the gap to aim for the swordsman.
Not a bad choice.
Of course, that meant Kang-hoo would need to cover Ayane from the mage’s attacks. A role swap.
To maximize her firepower here, he’d need to push the swordsman even harder.
【Fire Dragon Spear】
He cast Fire Dragon Spear on his remaining dagger and hurled it immediately.
He still had a long spear, but in a pit like this, the length might be more of a problem.
‘I’m burning through daggers fast.’
He’d already been using up his spare daggers—now he was down to just the ones in his hands.
Though he could retrieve them all at once using Soul Engraving, this wasn’t the time to do that.
“What the hell is this?!”
The swordsman hurriedly deflected the suddenly incoming flaming dagger.
His face twisted in disbelief as he watched the string of skill effects unleashed by Kang-hoo.
When they first matched up one-on-one, the swordsman had been confident.
After all, assassins needed to get in close, and he specialized in close combat.
But the only time Kang-hoo had really come close was when he used Grand Decapitation during his backward leap.
And in that time—
Ayane had finished preparing her Full Barrage.
A brief switch in roles.
Now it was Ayane’s turn to snipe the swordsman, and Kang-hoo’s job to guard her from the mage.
Because she was locked in position to fire her barrage, Ayane couldn’t move from that spot.
Fwhoosh!
Thud!
Leaping straight up, Kang-hoo planted a dagger into the dirt in front of Ayane.
【Sanctum of the Desolate Origin】
【Within a 5-meter radius, the speed of all ranged projectiles (skills, thrown weapons, etc.) is reduced by 65%.】
The Sanctum activated.
At the same time, a blue-glowing orb flew from the mage’s hand toward Ayane.
Judging from the strong fluctuations, it looked like a powerful shockwave-type projectile.
Then—
Bang!
Ayane’s barrage exploded forth.
And as the shockwave orb entered the Sanctum’s range, its speed drastically slowed.
Thanks to Kang-hoo’s unique talent, he could now easily track the projectile’s path! He spread the Wall of Purity in its trajectory.
The only problem—there was no solid ground under his feet.
So he kicked off the slanted terrain and blocked it midair—a strange but effective defense.
Fwoosh!
“Gahk!”
Though he couldn’t see it directly, the sound of flesh tearing was unmistakable, followed by the swordsman’s scream.
Boom!
The impact from the shockwave orb sent Kang-hoo flying backward.
It was a powerful enough blow to shave off half of the Wall of Purity’s durability in one hit.
“Kh…!”
Kang-hoo, driven back midair, nearly lost his footing—but he planted his legs hard and stood his ground.
Thanks to the sloped ground beneath him, he managed to hold his position without sliding back.
“Son of a…”
Seeing this terrifying spectacle with his own two eyes, the mage’s face turned pale.
He saw everything.
His magical orb slowing miserably as it passed through the Sanctum of the Desolate Origin, and then being blocked by the Wall of Purity.
His carefully prepared “finisher” had been neutralized by an assassin’s bizarre defensive skills.
This was a matter of pride now.
Among all classes, assassins were unanimously considered the weakest in terms of defense.
Even mages, who were notoriously bad at close combat, had excellent defense skills like shields.
Gunners, similarly fragile, at least had bullet barrages to counter with.
Assassins, by design, were supposed to avoid ranged attacks—not face them head-on.
And yet, Kang-hoo not only blocked his attack, but deployed an invisible field that drastically slowed it down.
From head to toe, the mage felt a crushing sense of powerlessness and deflation.
“Graaaah…”
Meanwhile, the swordsman staggered backward, having taken Ayane’s Full Barrage head-on.
Blood streamed endlessly from one shoulder, and his fear-filled eyes stayed locked on Ayane.
“Heh.”
Sensing his fear, Ayane raised her rifle at the swordsman.
It was an intimidation tactic—she didn’t actually intend to fire, but the swordsman, conditioned by pain, instinctively braced for defense.
Plan change.
Kang-hoo altered his strategy.
Originally, he planned to bait the swordsman into guarding his upper half, then strike from below with Soaring Slash.
However, Ayane’s timely intervention opened up a new combo opportunity.
【Flame of Death】
He swiftly placed the Flame of Death in the middle ground between himself and the swordsman.
Simultaneously, he slid slightly downhill and crouched, entering a charging stance.
Using the flame as visual cover, he prepared for a critical strike aimed at the unsuspecting swordsman.
【Black Moon Slash】
A hidden skill he rarely used at full power these days—Black Moon Slash.
He avoided using White Sun Slash. Without having consumed Mad Solarkium, using too much mana could trigger unpredictable side effects like migraines.
“I’ll take the mage.”
“Okay.”
Ayane’s voice rang out from above the pit. Kang-hoo nodded and focused his mind.
The swordsman, who had been glancing diagonally upward to track Ayane, noticed her aiming at the mage.
Finally, he dropped his defensive stance and repositioned to engage Kang-hoo again.
Blood still dripped from his shoulder, but it wasn’t enough to hinder his movements.
He could still fight for several more minutes—enough time for a decisive outcome.
“What the hell is this…?”
The swordsman muttered.
Ayane’s attack pattern had been predictable enough, but that damn assassin—what was he?
No matter how he looked at it, Kang-hoo was a horrific hybrid.
Even the dark violet flames flickering ahead weren’t normal. It was the kind of wall-of-fire spell only black mages used.
And yet here it was, high-powered and penalty-free, as if it belonged to him.
Still, the swordsman thought he could manage.
He subtly dumped powder from his coat into his mouth. Only he knew what it was.
Soon, the pain dulled, replaced by an almost euphoric thrill, like he could die without regret.
Then, an explosive surge of monstrous strength burst from his body—forced awakening.
“I’ll kill you…!”
Enough playing with fire.
His bloodshot eyes bulged with rage as the swordsman charged at Kang-hoo.
He was confident.
He had just pulled out his final trump card—there was no reason to lose now.
The swordsman moved to avoid the area where flames raged, circling around to locate Kang-hoo.
He wasn’t far.
Crouched unusually low, which was strange—but so what?
The swordsman gripped his greatsword and roared as he rushed toward Kang-hoo—who didn’t move an inch.
Once again, the swordsman leapt, preparing to execute Leap Slam.
This time, he was determined to crush Kang-hoo completely.
“……”
Shwik!
Kang-hoo, still motionless, calmly drew a semicircle in the air.
From behind his lowered body, concealed until now, a black projectile shot forward.
At first glance, it looked light and graceful—nowhere near threatening.
“Hah!”
Scoffing, the swordsman thrust his greatsword forward.
Head-on collision. He even released a blade wave-like energy in response—he had that option too.
A contest of strength.
He was sure of himself.
Kwagagaga!
He unleashed the power he’d drawn from every fiber of his being, sending a fierce surge of sword energy through the blade.
With this much force, any slash—even a powerful one—should be destroyed or overwhelmed.
It should have been.
It had to be.
…But then—
Kachit!
“…?”
What the swordsman saw—
Was Kang-hoo’s slash effortlessly shattering his own, then crashing into his chest.
And just like that, the black crescent moon consumed the swordsman’s life in one clean sweep.
There was nothing after that.