Chapter 268: The Clown (1)

Chapter 268: The Clown (1)

Kang-hoo and Ayane arrived in Germany.

Thanks to their comfortable journey, both looked well-rested.

As promised, Lars Abel, a representative of the Stark Guild and someone who piqued Kang-hoo’s interest, was there to greet them.

“It’s an honor to welcome such high-profile mercenaries from Korea and Japan. I am Lars Abel, the Vice Guild Master of the Stark Guild.”

“I’m Shin Kang-hoo.”

“I’m Ayane.”

They exchanged greetings in English, followed by a light embrace. As expected, English was the universal language.

Just as described in the original story, Lars was dressed in a custom-made suit.

From head to toe, every part of his attire was a luxury brand. His slicked-back hair, neatly styled with pomade, left a strong impression.

Scanning his constellation data confirmed that he specialized in the Berserker-type class, just as the original story described.

“Shall we head straight to the dungeon? We can discuss matters in the car. I assume your time is valuable.”

“Thank you.”

“We appreciate the consideration.”

Following Lars’s lead, Kang-hoo and Ayane moved along.

A luxury armored limousine was already prepared in front of the airport to transport them.

At a glance, it was at least ten times more impressive than the armored limousine Kang-hoo used in Korea.

Not only was it bulletproof, but it also had defensive mechanisms capable of retaliating against external threats.

Using mana extracted from magic stones, it had a structure that condensed and fired mana like an energy cannon.

At this level, calling it a mobile fortress wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

It must have been crafted by a skilled artisan, though it didn’t seem like Kim Shin-ryeong’s work.

After all, there were about ten renowned craftsmen in the world capable of such modifications. It was likely the work of one of them.

Once inside the limousine.

Whether it was because of “ladies first” courtesy or a deliberate attempt to delay the main topic, Lars started by conversing with Ayane.

It didn’t seem like he was particularly interested in her. Rather, it felt more like he was engaging in conversation out of obligation.

He asked a lot of questions, but his gaze lacked any real intrigue toward Ayane.

Then, as their conversation concluded.

The moment Lars directed a question at Kang-hoo, a newfound warmth filled the car.

“How are things in Korea? As you know, Germany is strictly divided into territories, making it difficult for factions to interfere with one another.”

Just as Lars described, Germany had firmly established powers in each region, resulting in relatively fewer conflicts.

Since the balance of power was maintained, no one dared to break it. Though, of course, it was a precarious peace.

“As you’re aware, the coalition led by the Jeonghwa Guild is engaged in a battle against the warlord group, The Abyss.”

“I heard The Abyss recently carried out a bombing attack on the Jeonghwa Guild’s armory and training facilities in Seoul.”

“Yes, it seems their security was compromised.”

The fact that someone like Lars referred to The Abyss’s attack as a “terrorist act” made Kang-hoo realize something.

It showed just how deeply entrenched the Jeonghwa Guild’s propaganda had become.

Most people in Korea already perceived The Abyss as evil and saw the Jeonghwa Guild as the protector of justice.

If this was the case domestically, then in foreign countries—where the information was even more filtered—there was no need to question the perception.

This wasn’t Lars’s mistake or misjudgment. It was a testament to the success of the Jeonghwa Guild and Jang Si-hwan’s external strategy.

“Personally, I’m quite disappointed in the Jeonghwa Guild. It’s obvious this was an inside job, isn’t it? A guild that fails to manage internal affairs will never win a war against external forces.”

“I see it as the true face of Korea’s number-one guild.”

Kang-hoo responded plainly, keenly observing Lars’s reaction.

In the original story, Lars always had a favorable opinion of the Jeonghwa Guild.

That’s why, when he later received Jang Si-hwan’s recruitment offer, he accepted without hesitation.

It was a critical decision—one that led him to entrust his fate to Jang Si-hwan, even at the cost of the Stark Guild issuing a statement condemning his actions.

But right now, Lars was openly expressing disappointment and disdain toward the Jeonghwa Guild.

This was a deviation from the original storyline.

Perhaps this was the butterfly effect caused by Kang-hoo preventing Lee Hyun-seok’s death and stopping the collapse of The Abyss.

The more negatively Lars viewed the Jeonghwa Guild, the greater the chances of the future unfolding differently.

If the guild failed to satisfy his ambitions…

If it only triggered his doubts and concerns…

Then it could never be an appealing option for him. And right now, it seemed like that was exactly the case.

Kang-hoo decided to take advantage of the opportunity—to reinforce Lars’s negative judgment.

“Their internal security has indeed been lax. The citizens of Seoul must be feeling quite uneasy.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“Moreover, despite having the Hunter Public Safety Bureau backing them, they still left such vulnerabilities exposed… It shows the limits of their management.”

“I’m starting to think Jang Si-hwan’s reputation might be inflated. By the way, Shin Kang-hoo, did the Jeonghwa Guild try to recruit you? I’d assume they did.”

“They did, but I declined.”

“As expected. I would have made the same choice.”

Lars’s overall tone remained unfavorable toward the Jeonghwa Guild.

Kang-hoo was increasingly convinced that things were going his way.

If he could provoke Lars just a little more…

He might be able to prevent him from ever joining The Thirteen Stars in the future.

Of course, someone as cunning as Jang Si-hwan would eventually find another way to appeal to Lars.

That’s why Kang-hoo needed to solidify his position before Jang Si-hwan could make his move.

At the very least, for now, it seemed Lars had no reason to hold any admiration for Jang Si-hwan or the Jeonghwa Guild. A promising sign.

As they continued their journey to the dungeon, their discussion about the political landscape deepened.

Through Ayane, Kang-hoo also gained insights into Japan’s political situation, which proved to be quite valuable.

Then, as a final briefing, they received another rundown of the dungeon.

Thanks to the documents they had reviewed and studied in advance, they had already familiarized themselves with all the details.

However, when Lars summarized the key points once more, the picture he had in mind became clearer.

Soon, they arrived in front of the dungeon.

Just before entering, Lars spoke in a polite tone to Kang-hoo and Ayane.

“Please make sure to clear it safely. Also, I must ask that you collect the Scharfrichter.”

“Of course. We came here to complete the request, not to make half-hearted compromises.”

“Don’t worry. If it’s not our best effort, then death is the only alternative.”

“Wow, as expected of Miss Ayane! That’s quite the statement.”

Hearing Ayane’s words, Kang-hoo nodded.

Upon reflection, it was a meaningful phrase. If it’s not our best effort, then death is the only alternative.

For a hunter who must live fiercely in every moment, those words carried great weight.

If one didn’t give their all at every moment, this world was filled with countless damnable situations where death was imminent.

That was true even in ordinary time and space, let alone inside a dungeon filled with lurking dangers.

“If you handle this task well, there are many more requests that we, as a guild, would like to entrust to you.”

It seemed they had no shortage of troublesome tasks.

For a mercenary, as long as the payment was good, the more work, the better.

‘Just like with the partnership contract with the Groo Guild. If a guild starts depending on me more, it’s not a bad thing. There will be more opportunities to leverage it.’

The more they felt his absence when he wasn’t around, the more valuable he would become in the hunter world.

Everything was relative.

In order to build a connection with Lars and redefine their relationship, he needed to make a strong impression.

Kang-hoo planned to execute this request more fiercely and aggressively than any he had taken on before.

The greater the distinction he created, the more explosive Lars’s reward and attention would be.

Five minutes later.

After completing the final preparations, Kang-hoo entered the dungeon and immediately summoned a Fallen Ghost, sending it ahead.

Thanks to their conversation on the private jet, Ayane wasn’t startled when a shadowy phantom-like figure suddenly flew past Kang-hoo’s back.

Had he not warned her in advance, she might have instinctively pulled the trigger upon seeing the Fallen Ghost.

【Third Eye】

After sending the Fallen Ghost ahead to scout, Kang-hoo set up the Third Eye at the entrance.

The more things seemed like nothing would happen, the more he believed vigilance was necessary.

While it was unlikely that Lars would pull any tricks, it was still worth double-checking every step.

Installing the Third Eye wasn’t a burden, so there was no reason to refuse a free security camera.

“Hold on a second?”

“Hm.”

Meanwhile, the moment Ayane stepped into the dungeon, she put on a pair of goggles. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be an Eyewear Item.

‘She’s carrying something rare.’

Kang-hoo immediately recognized the value of the goggles.

Not every rare item in the world belonged to him, so it wasn’t strange for her to possess one.

However, since it was an exceptionally difficult item to obtain, his gaze kept drifting toward it.

Typically, hunters equipped items in the following slots:

Weapons, necklace, chest armor, two single-hand gloves or one pair of two-hand gloves, bracelets, ten rings, anklets, shoes, and talismans.

These were the official equipment slots.

Since the total number of slots was high and items were relatively easy to acquire, most hunters had their slots filled, though with varying degrees of rarity.

But there were exceptions—such as eyewear.

Glasses were particularly difficult to acquire from dungeons, and since their overall quantity was very low, it was rare to see a hunter wearing them.

Even in the original story, Jang Si-hwan had never been able to obtain a pair of glasses.

‘There were headbands, nose rings, earrings… even underwear existed… Should I seriously consider acquiring one?’

The various rare items that had appeared in the original story and their sources began surfacing in his mind.

Every single one of them had been placed in near-impossible locations.

Even if he went after them, there was no guarantee he’d acquire them.

In the original story, it was one of Jang Si-hwan’s few genuine deficiencies, which was why obtaining eyewear had been designed to be incredibly difficult.

For example, one could only acquire it by retrieving an item from the corpse of a mountaineer who had perished near the summit of Mount Everest.

The difficulty level was deliberately made extreme. It was practically a trial designed to make players suffer, all because the author hadn’t wanted to give it away easily.

At that moment—

Ayane, having finished condensing and loading her mana, tapped Kang-hoo’s shoulder, signaling that her final setup was complete.

“Kang-hoo, I’m ready.”

“Alright. Just a second.”

Kang-hoo lightly grazed his pinky finger with a dagger, preparing to activate a newly acquired skill.

【Poison Blood】

A skill with a 22.2% absolute chance to inflict paralysis, sleep, or poison on the target.

Beyond simply clearing the dungeon, Kang-hoo had an additional reason for wanting to use Poison Blood as often as possible.

【Dream Demon】

【If a target put to sleep by a skill is personally killed, the user permanently gains 10 mana.

This effect can be triggered up to 100 times, after which the Dream Demon will evolve and grant a special reward.】

This was all because of the constellation Dream Demon.

Of course, if his mana exceeded 50, he would lose the Era of Barbarism effect, making it a poor synergy based on the basic tooltip.

However, upon further examination of the detailed tooltip, he discovered additional information that he had previously overlooked.

It was connected to a set of special conditions that greatly motivated him.