Chapter 324: The Underworld King’s Conviction (2)
“Dead… huh.”
It was the first time Kang-hoo had ever been shocked by someone’s death.
He had expected to deal a critical blow to Listic, sure—but he hadn’t anticipated it would be fatal.
Listic’s level was high enough that killing him with a single strike should have been unlikely.
But it had been a miscalculation.
Above all, the real difference lay in how the White Sun Slash attack differed from any of Kang-hoo’s previous patterns.
He had never fully charged the White Sun Slash for the full 10 seconds before, usually launching it as a ranged attack.
Because it was used as a surprise strike, he had always activated the hidden skill from a distance.
But this time was different.
He held out as long as he could and used the skill just before colliding with Listic. The energy was delivered in full.Had it been a ranged strike, the energy would have steadily decreased in flight.
But now, the impact occurred at the exact moment kinetic energy peaked—no wonder the damage was devastating.
‘I dealt more damage than I expected. My prediction was wrong, in a good way.’
Kang-hoo smiled.
Had it done less than expected, he might have been disappointed—but this was the opposite. It felt good.
【You have obtained 36 units of Dark Energy.】
The Dark Energy that had been displayed above Listic’s head from the beginning was now absorbed entirely by Kang-hoo.
As a result, his total Dark Energy reached 530.
Now, even if his Corrupt Minion vanished, he could instantly resummon it using 500 Dark Energy—no need to wait an hour.
Immediately afterward, the reward for completing the mission was activated.
There was no downside no matter which reward he chose. He only needed to consider which would benefit him the most.
【You may choose one of the following rewards:】
【Increase Holy Power by 100】
【Pledge one skill to the Hall of Radiance and borrow a divine skill in return】
【Receive one Absolute Radiance】
‘Let’s eliminate Absolute Radiance. It doesn’t have immediate utility. A one-time bomb isn’t exactly versatile.’
He ruled out the last of the three options. Then, he dismissed one of the two remaining choices.
‘It’s not like I have no base Holy Power. I should at least sample one divine skill.’
His current base Holy Power was 125. Not a lot, but not so little that skill usage was impossible.
His final choice was to borrow a skill.
Kang-hoo pledged a skill he had never used before.
Like the bizarre-eating skill he once left with the Dark Sanctuary, it was one he had no reason to keep.
【Precision Aim】
【This skill will be pledged in exchange for a borrowed skill. It will now be unusable.】
It was a skill he had earned from the boss monster called Graper.
Since it was for gunners, it had no utility for an assassin like Kang-hoo.
“Let’s see…”
Kang-hoo skimmed through the list of divine skills available for borrowing.
Just like the Dark Sanctuary, the Hall of Radiance had an impressive list.
They weren’t called the two great sanctuaries of the Grand Crusade for nothing. The Hall certainly didn’t want to fall behind.
“Alright, decision made.”
With firm resolve, Kang-hoo chose to borrow one divine skill—one that currently held the most value.
【Vow of the Radiant Monarch】
【Skill Proficiency: Lv. Max】
【The Radiant Monarch (Myeongwang) did not seek to weaken the power of the Dark Sanctuary, but rather to find a way to harness more of it.
This skill greatly increases the rewards you gain from beings possessing the power of the Dark Sanctuary.】
【Once per day, spend 100 Holy Power to triple the Dark Energy reward from a designated monster.】
From the moment he saw it, no other skill stood out.
To the average hunter, it might not seem particularly appealing.
After all, they couldn’t quantify how much Dark Energy a monster yielded.
But thanks to the second privilege granted by the constellation Cataclysm – Darkness, Kang-hoo could measure it numerically.
So all he had to do was find a high-reward Dark Energy monster and use Vow of the Radiant Monarch.
Especially since northern regions like North Korea were rich with Dark Energy farming monsters—there was no need to travel far.
The skill was now fully learned.
Its usage was simple: cast it on a target Dark Energy monster to increase the reward.
It couldn’t be blocked or dodged. Once cast, all he had to do was kill the target.
And then—
The designation for a new target was activated.
Since the previous mission had ended, the Hall of Radiance was now issuing a new one.
In game terms, it was an endlessly repeatable quest—a privilege that only Kang-hoo could enjoy.
A growth method in a realm unthinkable to most hunters.
“Next up is North Korea.”
The monster designated by the Hall of Radiance was in North Korea, near the Amnok River.
In truth, it was a place more heavily influenced by Chinese hunters, so he would need to tread carefully.
But since no civilians lived there, as long as he avoided messy confrontations, reaching it wouldn’t be difficult.
From now on, hidden skills, hidden stats, and high-quality items would be the core of advancement.
In the world of top-tier hunters, mana was so basic it wasn’t even worth mentioning.
The real differentiator would be how many useful hidden skills, versatile hidden stats, and quality items one possessed.
From that perspective, Kang-hoo’s focus on Dark Energy and Holy Power growth was a wise and forward-thinking decision.
【Your body has achieved a miraculous balance of light and darkness. How marvelous.】
The constellation Angel of the Battlefield, who had been quiet lately, finally spoke.
“I feel the same.”
Kang-hoo nodded in agreement.
All hunters had stats specialized in one particular direction.
Hunters with Holy Power couldn’t possess Dark Energy, and vice versa.
Even Jang Si-hwan, who was something of an exception, had always been noticeably unstable when using Holy Power compared to his Dark Energy.
It was so bad that readers of the original story often skipped over any part where Jang Si-hwan used a Holy Power skill.
His usage was so clunky and frustrating that even the audience turned their backs on the protagonist.
But Kang-hoo now had no issue at all with manifesting skills of completely opposite natures.
There was no internal clash within his body, nor any conflict among the constellations.
【I have high hopes for you. The Hall of Radiance will offer you various ways to keep growing.】
“Welcome.”
【May your path be filled with nothing but brilliance…】
Though he couldn’t see her, Kang-hoo had the feeling the Angel of the Battlefield had her hands clasped in prayer.
Be it the Dark Sanctuary or the Hall of Radiance, Kang-hoo didn’t care as long as it helped him grow.
He didn’t think in binary terms of good and evil, light and darkness. The Grand Crusade wasn’t such a simplistic world.
After clearing the dungeon, Kang-hoo parted ways with Takashi, promising to meet again later.
Kang-hoo had originally planned to stay with Takashi a bit longer, but this time Takashi was the one pressed for time.
He didn’t give a full explanation, but it seemed there had been a support request from Takipam.
He urgently said he needed to go help his “Japanese friends.”
In Japan, the only people Takashi had truly opened up to were his Takashi Family.
So, Kang-hoo immediately called An Yeong-ho and arranged to meet him soon.
Next, he called Ayane—but she wasn’t where he’d expected.
He had assumed she was still in Okinawa, but she had wrapped up her business and come to Osaka.
She had no ties to Osaka, so the only reason she was there was obvious.
When Kang-hoo told Ayane he was going to Japan, he had said Osaka would be his main base of activity.
In short, Ayane had finished her work in Okinawa early and come to Osaka to see him.
Thanks to that, he didn’t need to spend time traveling—they met right in the city.
“Here you go.”
She handed him a box containing twenty Mad Solarkium, which she had obtained at Kang-hoo’s request.
Each one was vacuum-sealed, and they looked so fresh they might have just been harvested.
“Thanks. How’s the market for Mad Solarkium in Japan? I was thinking of adding something on top of the cost, since you went through the trouble.”
“No need.”
“What do you mean no need? I asked you to get them, not donate them for free.”
“I’m saying I don’t need money.”
When Kang-hoo tried to offer full payment plus a bonus, Ayane shook her head vigorously.
“I don’t like taking things for free.”
Kang-hoo was just as stubborn.
You’d think he could just graciously accept a favor, but his nature didn’t allow it.
He hated being indebted to others—but didn’t mind making others indebted to him.
As Kang-hoo stubbornly stepped back, Ayane sighed deeply and changed the subject.
“Then… spend a day with me. Not casually—I’m seriously asking.”
“A 2-billion-won date?”
“For people like us, taking a whole day off is a choice worth more than 2 billion, right?”
“…Can’t argue with that.”
Kang-hoo nodded.
As Ayane said, if they invested a day into dungeon diving or anything else, they’d make tens of billions of won.
So Ayane had asked for something worth even more than Mad Solarkium—Kang-hoo’s time.
“Until the sun rises tomorrow. Just stay by my side until then. I want a bit of peace. …How about it?”
“I wanted a break too, honestly. Sure. I’m not the most romantic guy, but let’s spend it together.”
“Seriously, that line… you’ve got zero sense.”
“I know.”
Ayane chuckled at the awkward smile Kang-hoo gave.
She didn’t know when it began, but her feelings for Kang-hoo had become more than just casual interest.
The more she tried to push him away, the more she felt drawn to him—like being pulled into a black hole.
And it wasn’t just emotional—she also admired his abilities as a hunter.
The synergy of those two kinds of affection amplified her feelings even more.
With a light blush on her face, Ayane whispered to Kang-hoo.
“So it’s a date?”
“What kind of line is that?”
“It’s cute, isn’t it? Hehe.”
Clasp.
Ayane grabbed Kang-hoo’s hand.
For people who had already shared passionate nights, it might seem like nothing—but surprisingly, this was the first time they held hands.
That kind of gentle physical contact didn’t suit the intensity of their past encounters.
“It’s warm.”
Kang-hoo gripped her hand tightly as well. It felt strangely comforting—perhaps that warmth was the temperature of emotion.
Kang-hoo hoped that, just once, his dried-up heart could burn like a passionate fire.
To this cursed character called Shin Kang-hoo, who had been stripped of warmth—pure, burning love…
He could understand the word, but never feel the emotion in his heart.
No matter how much he tried, he could never fill the emptiness.
That emotional desolation remained a puzzle Kang-hoo had yet to solve, even after all his growth.