Chapter 283: Preparing To Return Home (1)
Everyone who witnessed the scene was horrified.
Even the mage hunter, who had been exchanging blows with Ayane, looked down mid-battle.
Even Ayane, who had tried to check on Kang-hoo out of concern.
And… the swordsman, who never expected that his body would be sliced in half and killed while still holding his sword.
All three were shocked—but the only one who showed no change in expression was Kang-hoo.
‘It’s been a while since I landed a full-charge hit.’
He had poured almost all of his dark energy into that single strike.
At that level, the opponent should’ve either dodged or at least tried to deflect it at an angle.
But the swordsman, who had no idea what Black Moon Slash was, had charged in head-on, unleashing sword energy.
And that proved to be the worst possible move.Once he lost in the power struggle, his body behind the blade became the sacrifice.
If the swordsman had even a hint of knowledge about Kang-hoo’s Black Moon Slash, he had the skills to survive.
But ignorance became a fatal misstep, and with that, his life came to an end.
Kang-hoo checked the constellations he had plundered.
【Tracker of the Battlefield】
【When approaching a designated target, movement speed increases by 50%, and skill attack damage increases by 25%.】
【Shepherd of the Wasteland】
【Increases divine power recovery rate by 25%. Gain an additional 15 divine power stat points.】
‘Didn’t seem like he even knew how to use divine power skills… Either way, that’s two constellations.’
He’d stolen some valuable constellations.
The Shepherd of the Wasteland would no doubt be useful to Kang-hoo, who might need to use divine power in the future.
And Tracker of the Battlefield was a perfect fit for his assassin playstyle.
Now he understood why the swordsman had been trying so hard to close the distance—it was because of the constellation’s effect.
‘No need to use the Successor of the Diagonal Line constellation just yet.’
He had been planning to steal it if there were any eye-catching, drool-worthy skills—but there were none.
It was something to consider for a later time when he’d face higher-level hunters than these guys.
Meanwhile, during that time…
Bang! Bang-bang! Bang!
Ayane was locked in battle with the mage.
Using the Yellow Origin Formation Kang-hoo had previously created to her advantage, she landed a solid blow to the mage’s shoulder.
Now it was a one-on-one.
Whatever kind of setup their enemies had planned—it was all shattered!
All that was left was the death of the one now left alone.
Kang-hoo looked out from the pit and smiled.
There was no way a mage who was already struggling to fend off Ayane’s attacks could stop Kang-hoo if he charged in seriously…
Of course, it was impossible.
A while later.
“Kaahhh… khak… ptui!”
Ayane spat a thick wad of phlegm right onto the face of the now-dead mage.
Even that didn’t seem to be enough for her. She spat again, gathering every last bit of spit she could muster.
“Serves you right, you bastard.”
Thud! Thud-thud! Thud!
She stomped on the mage’s face with her shoe.
It was pure desecration—but considering these were the ones who tried to kill her in the first place, she felt zero guilt.
Meanwhile, Kang-hoo was examining the constellations he had stolen from the mage.
Two more from him.
This battle alone had earned him five constellations now under his control.
At this point, it was more than just a profitable fight—it was a jackpot.
He’d saved Ayane, so she owed him now, and he’d taken items off the dead hunters as well.
【Ascetic】
【Increases the efficiency of defense-related skills by 33%. Increases skill casting speed by 9%.】
‘So that’s why the mage kept using shields. Works well with Wall of Purity for me too.’
Kang-hoo had already been getting good results by stacking his solid defense skills with Wall of Purity.
Now, if he added the effect of the Ascetic constellation to Wall of Purity, he could create an even sturdier barrier.
Things were going so well it felt like his build was falling into place naturally.
If Wall of Purity had been a flashy, cumbersome shield skill that required grand movements, it wouldn’t have been as useful.
But as it was now—just a simple raise of one arm to lightly cover the front—it synergized perfectly with Kang-hoo’s style.
And now, with that kind of “hidden skill” getting a 33% buff, how could he not feel good?
‘But this damn constellation…’
The problem was the other constellation he stole from the mage alongside Ascetic. It was nasty—in the worst sense.
【Addict of Slaughter】
【Gain 1 distributable stat point for every non-hunter killed. Max 500.】
Wasn’t this a constellation that outright encouraged murder?
He’d felt the same disgust when he stole the Frenzied Murderer constellation from Jo Gu-bin.
This felt exactly like that.
This mage had probably killed countless innocent civilians without hesitation—stat points were a tempting reward.
‘Should I say a prayer… nah, forget it.’
Kang-hoo had considered performing a ritual to pray for the souls of the two out of three dead hunters—he could’ve gained some stats.
But with his mana steadily rising, he didn’t want to introduce unnecessary variables.
【Despicable Cleric】
【If you conduct a ritual to pray for the soul of a hunter you killed with your own hands, you gain 1 to 10 bonus stat points, randomly, once.
You may do this up to two times in 24 hours. If both uses are spent, the next attempt must wait another 24 hours.】
The constellation he had stolen after killing the fake priest in the open-type dungeon earlier…
What if things got weird and he prayed twice for their souls—and both times ended up with a +10 to Mana?
That would be the end of the Age of Barbarism effect.
He was tempted to farm other stats, but he didn’t want to risk losing big over something small.
That’s how essential the Age of Barbarism skill was to Kang-hoo, reducing mana costs by 50%.
‘Someday I’ll find a use for it. If I end up eating another Black-and-White Fruit, I can use this as a discard card.’
With his thoughts neatly sorted, Kang-hoo was excited about retrieving the items from the fallen hunters.
“Kang-hoo! Really—thank you so much!”
Ayane, tossing aside the rifle she valued more than her life, rushed into Kang-hoo’s arms.
Her sweat-drenched hair swayed before his eyes, heavy with scent, but he didn’t find it unpleasant.
Maybe it was a peculiar preference—was it because he was Shin Kang-hoo, or the original author?
Kang-hoo liked that distinct scent that only came from sweat.
Of course, it only applied to people he had some degree of affection or interest in—whether romantic or platonic.
So without much expression, he embraced Ayane tightly. He could feel her trembling fingertips against his back.
“I tried to shoulder it all myself because I didn’t want to burden anyone. I never imagined you’d actually show up.”
“Good thing I wasn’t late, then.”
“When I saw you, I finally understood what they meant by a prince on a white horse! I always mocked that cliché… but turns out, I’m the protagonist after all…”
“Any injuries?”
“I’m okay. I was just trying to come to terms with everything, thinking it was the karma of the blood I’ve spilled…”
In Kang-hoo’s arms, Ayane began to sob hot tears. Between sniffles, she kept talking.
“Thank you for saving me. Really. Truly… thank you so much.”
Kang-hoo replied with a faint smirk.
“Quite the transformation from the woman who just spit on a dead mage’s face.”
“That’s because… that bastard deserved it!”
Ayane, her eyes now swollen, looked up at Kang-hoo.
Her trembling body and sobs showed that her emotions were still raw and unresolved.
Understandable.
Just moments before Kang-hoo arrived, she had been surrounded by three men and was on the verge of being violated.
If he’d been even slightly later, her fate would’ve been entirely different. She would’ve endured something horrific.
“Think of it this way. I just killed someone worse by my standards. And you’re still useful to me.”
“Kang-hoo, you know what?”
“What?”
“I can tell when you’re pretending to be cold just to make me feel better.”
“Are you saying I’m acting?”
“Yeah. The Kang-hoo I know isn’t actually cold. He just acts that way—but he’s warm inside.”
“That’s an incredible interpretation I can’t relate to at all.”
“It’s fine. No matter how you phrase it, I’ll interpret it however I want! Anyway… thanks.”
Ayane stayed in Kang-hoo’s arms for a long time.
Her chest against his beat rapidly—she still hadn’t calmed down.
With all three enemies taken care of, there was no need to rush.
As the evening glow settled in, the two of them remained quietly in each other’s embrace.
Quite some time passed, but to them, it felt like everything had stopped—a moment outside of time.
Kang-hoo decided to keep all the items stripped from the three dead hunters.
That had been Ayane’s plan from the beginning.
She was already more than grateful for having her life saved and had zero interest in the loot.
Kang-hoo picked out only the one item he needed and planned to sell the rest to Lars.
He had no use for mana-related items, and the rest were subpar in quality.
So, he swapped out his ankle bracelet.
The one he had been wearing—Flowering Transformation—was a grade 4 item that only gave +50 to toughness and magic resistance.
【Demon - Anklet】
【Grade: 3rd】
【Magic Resistance +100】
【Toughness +100】
The newly acquired Demon Anklet, however, increased both stats by 100, meaning a +50 boost in each stat.
Now, with a goal of hitting 1,000 toughness, only 66 points remained. He was within reach—almost there.
After recovering the items—
Ayane contacted the Hunter Public Safety Bureau in Germany.
She offered to personally handle the follow-up and investigation, so Kang-hoo headed to the hotel first.
Even though blood was still smeared on parts of his body, no guards or staff raised any issues.
He gave Ayane’s name, who had made the reservation, and was immediately shown to the room—which was booked for one.
Before entering the room,
Kang-hoo stopped by a small clothing shop inside the hotel and bought a training suit to change into.
After entering the room and taking a clean, hot shower, he lay down on the bed to rest.
Perhaps because he had fought without using Mad Solarkium, the fatigue was less than expected.
Had the enemies been a bit stronger, or if he hadn’t taken down the swordsman early on—
He might’ve needed to chew on Mad Solarkium right away. But now he’d saved it for another day.
The hot water from the shower made his body feel pleasantly limp.
Leaving the bed for Ayane, Kang-hoo flopped onto the sofa and thought about the days ahead.
“Tomorrow, I’ll meet Lars and sell off the items—that’ll wrap up the Germany trip.”
His work in Germany would be done.
Upon returning to Korea, he’d spend time with his master, Celestial Assassin, likely accompanied by his companion.
Once he received word from Kang Bok-hwa about Infernus, he would head to Busan immediately.
But there was just one variable Kang-hoo couldn’t control.
“The problem is Yuji.”
His bitter rival—Ishihara Yuji—was still waiting for him in Daejeon, longing to face him.
A violent confrontation wasn’t far off.