Chapter 271: Scharfrichter (1)
Before they knew it, they had reached Clown No. 1’s sector.
This was the final sector.
Once they passed through this area, they would enter the phase of collecting Scharfrichter.
Of course, since the real battle would begin with the collection of Scharfrichter, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down.
The concept of No. 1 was a sniper.
At first glance, just hearing the concept made it seem like Ayane would have a much easier time dealing with No. 1 than Kang-hoo.
However, there was a problem.
The full-body shield surrounding No. 1 completely nullified all ranged attacks.
In other words, it was a scenario where a gunman couldn’t take down another gunman. Ayane’s firepower was useless.
“Let’s go with what we discussed on the plane.”“Of course. No point wasting ammo when it won’t work anyway. I’m not going to be stubborn about it.”
“How’s your condition?”
“I’m fine. What about you, Kang-hoo?”
“Feeling great. When my partner is skilled, I get excited too.”
“Oh~, so you actually have emotions like excitement?”
“Let’s just say it makes me crave blood even more. How about that?”
“Completely charming.”
“……?”
Kang-hoo let out a hollow laugh at Ayane’s reaction, as if she were wearing multiple layers of rose-tinted glasses.
But it wasn’t just empty words.
Thanks to Ayane, he hadn’t once worried about ranged combat while making his way to Clown No. 1’s sector.
They just had to deal with the closest monsters first. There was no need to worry about enemies at a distance.
It was partly because he trusted Ayane and partly because he acknowledged her skills.
Click!
Ayane took cover behind a suitable structure and got into a sniping stance.
But her sights weren’t set on No. 1, who was staring in their direction.
Instead, she was scanning the covers and structures that the enemy might use for their own sniping positions.
Although they had discussed it beforehand, they hadn’t mapped out the internal layout in detail.
So, she needed to check with her own eyes—and upon doing so, she spotted several key points.
“I’ll match the movement path.”
“Good. Then, I’m going in.”
Kang-hoo moved immediately.
From the start, he erected the Impenetrable Wall as he advanced. After all, every enemy here was a sniper.
There were five of them in total.
Since they were spread out in a fan formation, the Impenetrable Wall could cover the angle needed to block their magic bullets.
Of course, if they got behind him or attacked from the side, it would be a different story…
But the enemies were moving more cautiously than expected. Thanks to that, the variables in Kang-hoo’s situation decreased.
Thwmp! Thwmp! Thwmp!
Soon, No. 1’s magic bullets struck the Impenetrable Wall, but it held up better than expected.
Whether they were testing him or it was because of the distance, his body didn’t even budge.
Thanks to the solid stacking effect, his original defense had doubled in strength, which could be the reason.
Meanwhile, Ayane silently observed Kang-hoo’s advance while holding the Impenetrable Wall in place.
‘This is no different from a tank moving with a shield up. The only difference is that Kang-hoo’s class is an assassin.’
A sniper adept at close combat. A priest skilled in shadow arts. A black mage wielding holy power.
If someone heard such phrases, their first reaction would be one of strong skepticism.
They would question whether such a thing was possible and, if it existed, whether it was outright cheating.
That was exactly how Kang-hoo appeared now.
An assassin specialized in tanking. An assassin capable of advancing while enduring concentrated sniper fire.
He was turning such absurd titles into reality.
‘I should keep my mouth shut.’
Ayane realized that Kang-hoo’s Impenetrable Wall wasn’t just an ordinary skill.
It wasn’t just some lucky acquisition—this was a hidden skill, without a doubt.
Someday, the existence of this hidden skill would come to light, but she didn’t want it to be because of her.
What was it, exactly…?
She wanted to be the only one who knew about Kang-hoo’s unique traits and strengths. It was a kind of possessiveness. She didn’t want others to find out.
While Kang-hoo seemed to be thinking nothing of the sort, Ayane was consciously keeping herself in check.
Bang!
Ayane pulled the trigger to stabilize the rifle’s overcharged state.
It was an intentional overcharge.
That way, she could destroy or render useless any structures No. 1 might use for cover.
Crash!
Sure enough, Ayane’s shot blew a massive hole in one of the structures, eliminating a potential hiding spot.
“……!”
No. 1’s forces began to panic.
They had been aware of the presence of an enemy sniper from the beginning.
However, they had never expected that the sniper wouldn’t target them but their surroundings instead.
They had been too focused on their own positioning and had overlooked the possibility that the enemy might think strategically.
The atmosphere among No. 1’s troops, which had been riding high on confidence, suddenly began to cool. Something was going wrong.
During that moment…
Kang-hoo closed the distance.
He could have approached quickly, but he didn’t.
Instead, he kept using the Impenetrable Wall to create blind spots where effective attacks couldn’t land.
At the same time, he funneled mana into the wall, allowing it to partially restore its durability.
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out.
This time, the decayed tree that one of No. 1’s members had been trying to use for cover was shattered into dust.
“Wow.”
An involuntary exclamation escaped him.
Seeing the tree completely obliterated into nothingness, he couldn’t help but wonder—what if Ayane’s shot was aimed at him instead?
He could block one shot with the Impenetrable Wall… but the next?
He’d have to take a hit to find out, but he didn’t want to test it.
Just then—
Shiik…!
One of No. 1’s snipers decided it would be wiser to reposition in a way that allowed them to target Kang-hoo directly.
They realized that from their current formation, they could only attack him from the front.
They also understood that Kang-hoo’s Impenetrable Wall only defended the front.
‘That one’s the smartest of the bunch.’
Kang-hoo assessed the situation.
If things continued like this, Ayane’s sniping would only further restrict their movement range.
It was the right decision to actively target him. After all, Ayane couldn’t directly harm No. 1 herself.
But there was one problem—
Kang-hoo had been waiting for an opponent like this from the very start.
【Shadow Step】
He activated Shadow Step.
The enemy sniper had no choice but to move closer to reposition—
Kang-hoo sent all five of his shadow clones toward them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
No. 1 managed to disperse three of the shadow clones with regular gunfire, but two remained intact.
Whoosh.
A swift position switch followed.
In an instant, the distance between No. 1 and Kang-hoo had closed.
It was so close that the other No. 1 members couldn’t provide cover for their ally.
【Leap】
Kang-hoo lunged at No. 1.
It seemed the enemy hadn’t accounted for the possibility that Kang-hoo had a skill allowing him to switch positions.
He was so flustered by Kang-hoo’s sudden appearance in front of him that he couldn’t even think of pulling the trigger—
And in that moment of hesitation, Kang-hoo’s Decapitation Slash plunged into his chest.
Schlck!
“Ghhk!”
He hadn’t even had time to put up a proper defense. The dagger sank deep into his chest.
Kang-hoo twisted the blade diagonally.
It was to crush any thoughts of resistance—to drown him in pure agony.
“Gwaaaargh!”
“Aaaaaagh!”
The dagger twisted deeper, shredding the pectoral muscles and even cracking some ribs, throwing No. 1 into hellish pain.
‘Claws of Hatred… This thing really performs well.’
It seemed that asking Kim Shin-ryeong to refine it had been a stroke of genius.
Not only did it slice through targets, but it also held up exceptionally well when ripping and breaking through.
With the dagger still buried in No. 1’s chest, Kang-hoo shifted it from his left hand to his right.
And once again—
【Decapitation Slash】
He drove the blade in deeper.
Two consecutive thrusts shredded through No. 1’s hardened pectoral muscles—he had no chance of holding out any longer.
“Grrrkk…”
His eyes rolled back.
No. 1’s consciousness was fading, but it wasn’t over yet.
【Blood Flower】
BOOM!
A crimson flower bloomed.
Since all of the wounds were concentrated on the chest, the explosive force of Blood Flower directly struck No. 1’s heart.
Judgment was triggered, but Kang-hoo didn’t use it.
It would have been overkill. He could only use it once per day, and it was better saved for the boss monster later.
“Ghhkk…”
There was no need to look any further.
No. 1 clutched his chest in agony, desperately grasping at his failing heart—before collapsing lifelessly.
A one-sided slaughter.
The other No. 1 members, witnessing the scene, were frozen in horror.
Their already white faces—painted like clowns—had now turned an even paler shade, completely drained of color.
The rest of the battle wasn’t even worth watching.
With Ayane’s relentless interference, No. 1’s forces had lost all places to hide.
Meanwhile, Kang-hoo steadily approached, using Impenetrable Wall for safety, and activated Shadow Step whenever an opportunity arose.
It was a predictable pattern—
But unfortunately for No. 1, they lacked the strategic and tactical awareness to counter it.
When intelligence fails, brute force becomes the only option.
And so, every single No. 1 was wiped out.
Kang-hoo’s level increased to 270.
The clown sector, designed entirely with humanoid monsters, was a goldmine for experience.
Even after splitting it between the two of them, the experience gains were abundant—enough to make them want to farm this area repeatedly if given the chance.
In fact, according to the briefing materials, this dungeon was a priority raid target for the Stark Guild.
Of course, regular forces couldn’t even dream of collecting Scharfrichter, so most avoided this area altogether.
After confirming that no more enemies were nearby, Kang-hoo pulled an energy bar from his pocket.
At the same time, Ayane approached, cooling down her rifle.
Due to the natural differences in their combat roles, Kang-hoo and Ayane were always far apart after battles ended.
He handed her the energy bar.
“Eat.”
“Oh, you’re taking care of me?”
“I stuffed too many in my pocket. They’re just getting in the way.”
“Playing the tsundere role, are you?”
“Huh?”
“Nothing! That’s totally something you’d say, though. Thanks for the food! I’ve got some extra ion drinks. Want one?”
“I’m good. I don’t usually drink anything unless I’m really thirsty.”
Kang-hoo declined Ayane’s offer.
It wasn’t because he disliked her consideration—he simply wasn’t the type to drink often.
It hadn’t always been that way.
Life at Cheongmyeong Detention Center had conditioned him to avoid drinking water whenever possible.
There, even using the restroom required permission. Every trip meant dealing with the watchful eyes of the guards, enduring constant time pressure…
Naturally, minimizing bathroom visits became a habit, leading him to avoid drinking water altogether.
Even though he had long escaped Cheongmyeong Detention Center, his body still instinctively remembered.
As Ayane took a bite of the energy bar, stuffing the entire thing into her mouth, she started chewing noisily.
For a moment, her puffed cheeks made her look like a chipmunk—
A very pretty chipmunk.
That’s when—
“…….”
Unexpectedly, Kang-hoo found himself recalling memories of Cheongmyeong Detention Center.
A fellow inmate who had died at the hands of a guard’s cruel joke.
That inmate had eaten an energy bar with the same delighted expression…
Not knowing that the guards had laced it with poison.
A few moments later—
The venom spread through his body, and he collapsed right in front of Kang-hoo, vomiting blood.
He had died with tears in his eyes, his face twisted in agony. Even in death, his eyes had remained open.
‘Fucking Eclipse bastards…’
The cursed memories of Cheongmyeong Detention Center clawed their way back to the surface, even in a moment of peace.
Crunch.
“Kang-hoo, you’re bleeding! Your lip—!”
Unconsciously, Kang-hoo had bitten down on his lip hard enough to draw blood.
Ayane’s face twisted in concern.