Chapter 327: Spirit Training (2)
The six most essential locations were clear from the original blueprint, so prioritizing them wasn’t difficult.
‘I must choose Pride, Greed, Lust, and Sloth. Chaos is good for variable training, and Despair works too.’
These options had been predetermined from the start. Since that was the Creator’s arrangement, it was only natural for Kang-hoo, now part of that world, to follow it.
He confirmed the six towers and selected the Tower of Greed as his starting point.
‘The Tower of Greed aligns best with the direction of the training I’m receiving from Master right now.’
Even before coming for spirit body training, Kang-hoo had intended to start with the Tower of Greed. He was curious about its detailed structure, and upon reviewing it, he found certain aspects quite demanding.
【Tower of Greed】
【This tower prohibits all item usage. Choose three stats to receive a 66% reduction penalty, or choose two stats to receive a 33% reduction penalty. A choice is mandatory. Failure to choose results in a flat 66% reduction penalty applied to all stats.】
This dungeon truly embodied ‘greed.’ It imposed all sorts of penalties, stripping away your original combat capability—like carrying sandbags everywhere. But that was exactly the kind of challenge Kang-hoo wanted.
Real combat is never at 100%; it always takes place in environments full of variables and debuffs. Getting hit with debuff skills was a daily occurrence, so becoming accustomed to penalties was necessary.‘66% reduction for Health, Mana, and Divine Power. 33% reduction for Strength and Agility.’
He made his choices immediately. Because of his mana hypersensitivity, a penalty to Mana posed no issue. The same went for Health and Divine Power. Given the limited use of Divine Power in the Dark Sanctuary, it likely wouldn’t be useful here either—and Health, the same. Strength and Agility, however, were needed to secure mobility and firepower as an assassin, so he left those for lesser penalties.
【Moving to the Tower of Greed.】
A system message promptly appeared, and Kang-hoo’s spirit was smoothly transported to the first floor of the tower. Each floor was composed of steps of indeterminable height. Kang-hoo stood at its starting point.
The first thing Kang-hoo thought of at the starting point was crafting a weapon. Since all items were prohibited, he didn’t even have the daggers he usually favored.
“If what you need is given freely, it wouldn’t be ‘greed.’ The Tower of Greed is a place full of deprivation.”
Kang-hoo let out a bitter smile. Even so, he believed this was the most necessary training. Extreme situations could strike at any time.
In this tower, killing monsters and completing missions would reliably increase his Dark Energy. As long as he didn’t die, every moment was an opportunity. Motivation was everywhere.
“Looks like the blade part’s taken care of.”
Kang-hoo nodded as he spotted a sharp stone nearby. It likely split sharply after hitting something while falling from above. Though not quite blade-quality, it should still suffice for cutting or tearing something with force.
“Then I just need a tree branch to use as a handle…”
As he scanned the area, a conveniently well-grown tree came into view. What made it unusual was that it displayed obtainable Dark Energy and a mission alongside it.
【Ghost Tree】
【Obtainable Dark Energy: 10】
【Special Mission: If you eliminate the Ghost Tree without taking a single hit, you earn an additional 10 Dark Energy. However, every hit taken reduces your Dark Energy by 2, with no limit to the number of reductions.】
“So nothing’s free, huh? Truly ‘greedy.’”
Whip! Whip! Crackle!
As soon as the mission activated, the Ghost Tree lashed out its branches and scattered its fruit at Kang-hoo. Dozens of nut-like fruits were attached to it, and with just one sweep, many came flying his way.
Getting hit by those would count as damage, so he leapt back to evade them swiftly. Since they weren’t flying at a threatening speed, simple jumps were enough to dodge them.
【Third Eye】
Just in case, Kang-hoo activated his Third Eye to light up his rear view. Dungeons or fields dominated by Dark Energy were full of deceit and unpredictability. Just because nothing had been behind him moments ago didn’t mean it would stay that way forever.
Whip! Crackle!
“You’re really going wild, huh.”
He had only stepped forward twice, yet the Ghost Tree continued pelting him with fruit. There were simply too many projectiles flying toward him to ignore them and press forward.
If he made one wrong move and got hit repeatedly, he could lose all the Dark Energy he had.
Then—
‘As expected.’
The Third Eye detected something. Just as anticipated, a monster appeared behind him—covered entirely in mud.
【Shadow Sewer Rat】
【Obtainable Dark Energy: 30】
【Special Mission: If killed in one strike, gain an additional 15 Dark Energy.】
The reward was quite hefty. The term “sewer rat” may sound harmless, but in terms of size, it looked more like an otter or a beaver—or even larger.
A creature like that would be difficult—no, impossible—to kill in a single blow.
So why was a special mission like that assigned? Kang-hoo’s reasoning was clear.
‘Special missions aren’t just bonus rewards handed out unconditionally. They’re traps meant to lure you into overextending.’
They were poison apples disguised as rewards. If you were confident you could neutralize the poison, maybe you’d go for it—but otherwise, avoidance was the wiser move.
And by Kang-hoo’s calculations, killing the Shadow Sewer Rat in one blow was impossible.
If he pushed himself too hard to try, he could end up bitten, poisoned, or paralyzed.
“……”
Without once turning his head, Kang-hoo kept advancing as if still focused on the Ghost Tree. With nothing but a sharp stone clutched in hand, he needed a more precise setup.
This wasn’t like when he had the Claws of Hatred or wielded a corrupted faith so potent it could kill with a graze.
Rustle. Rustle. Rustle!
Seeing that Kang-hoo paid it no mind, the Shadow Sewer Rat began to accelerate. The Third Eye captured its full movement, but Kang-hoo didn’t react or give any sign of awareness.
Then, as the rat closed in and leapt with bared fangs—
【Decapitation Slash】
Kang-hoo spun his body in a wide arc and slammed the sharp rock into the rat’s side with all his strength. Given the arc of his arm and the motion of the swing, killing it in a single blow was never the goal.
Thud!
“Gkkhh!”
Struck in the side, the rat flailed its paws in the air and tumbled helplessly. With the power of the Decapitation Slash behind it, the blow wasn’t light enough for the rat to recover immediately.
Meanwhile—
Crack!
Kang-hoo stomped his left foot onto the fallen rat’s stomach, and with his right foot, pressed down on its throat. The pressure to its gut drained the rat’s strength, and the force on its neck locked its head back.
Even with Kang-hoo right in its face, the rat couldn’t resist or move in any threatening way. With its airway blocked, its vision blurred—until blacking out entirely.
Then—
Crunch!
Kang-hoo drove the sharp stone directly into the rat’s forehead. Thanks to the earlier combo, piercing its soft flesh and muscle was no trouble.
“Gghhh…”
The rat stuck out its tongue weakly, rolled its eyes back, and died on the spot.
【You have acquired 30 Dark Energy.】
A pleasant message popped up. The amount of Dark Energy wasn’t small, but Kang-hoo’s ambition went well beyond that.
‘Thinking about Emilia, this kind of reward is nowhere near enough.’
He needed at least 1,000 Dark Energy to use Corruption comfortably—and the same went for his skills. Now at 560, up from 530, the road ahead was still long.
Later—
He successfully defeated the Ghost Tree, dodging all its fruit attacks along the way. That gave him materials to tie into a makeshift short dagger, and more Dark Energy as a bonus.
Since he also cleared the “no hit” special mission, his Dark Energy had climbed to 585.
As he continued clearing the Tower of Greed, Kang-hoo grew more accustomed to not having powerful weapons. Naturally, this pushed him to develop precise, critical attack setups.
This wasn’t a conscious change—it came simply from adapting to his new environment. On top of that, with his stats penalized, he automatically adjusted to simulated debuff and slow effects. It was like training with weighted gear.
Through all this, one thing became clear: the importance of buffs that could overcome such penalties. Kang-hoo had almost no buff skills of his own. And since Park Dong-jae couldn’t always be there to help, it was time to consider acquiring buff skills.
Buff skills were far harder to extract from boss monsters than regular combat abilities. But if he could find a way, they weren’t out of reach—and from now on, they’d be part of his plan.
Even if not an advantage, a buff skill that canceled out debuffs to bring things back to neutral was essential.
Meanwhile—
Somewhere deep within Ground Zero, two people met who never should have crossed paths.
One was a well-known public figure, a heavyweight—yet he came alone. The other, who had come to meet him, also brought no bodyguards, making the journey alone.
A clandestine meeting.
The two men, facing each other for the first time, were Lee Hyun-seok and Yu Do-hoon.
Lee Hyun-seok was the infamous leader of the warlord group The Abyss, and Yu Do-hoon was from the Hunter Public Safety Bureau.
Given The Abyss’s ongoing conflict with both the Jeonghwa Guild and the Public Safety Bureau, this meeting was impossible. Under normal logic, it shouldn’t have happened.
“Living this long, I suppose you really do get to see everything. I never thought I’d meet someone from The Abyss as a Public Safety officer…”
“Likewise.”
Yu Do-hoon and Lee Hyun-seok exchanged awkward greetings. Since this was their first time meeting in person, some awkwardness was inevitable.
But their rapport had already begun beforehand. They had already shared quite a few conversations.
What bridged the gap between these two seemingly incompatible people was an email Yu Do-hoon had received—an email that shattered his belief that The Abyss could never be an ally.
The sender of that email was none other than Kang-hoo.
And facing Yu Do-hoon now was someone who had also flipped his thinking and survived a crisis thanks to that same message.
Lee Hyun-seok had detected Moon Yu-seok’s betrayal early and dealt with him—thanks to Kang-hoo’s email.
Unknowingly, both men had been swept into Kang-hoo’s carefully spun web of destiny.
And that was precisely what the current Kang-hoo hoped for with all his heart.
Because what they were discussing could only be fatal to the ‘Jeonghwa Guild’ and their lapdogs at the ‘Public Safety Bureau.’
Everything was progressing according to plan, quietly, out of sight.
On the chessboard Kang-hoo had meticulously arranged, every piece was playing its role faithfully.
None of them had the faintest idea that Kang-hoo’s hand was guiding every move.