Chapter 317: The World They Live In (3)
The raid had begun.
Kang-hoo had at his disposal 20 Solarkium, 7 Mad Solarkium, 8 Awakening Rings, and even the bile of the Swarm Queen—ample resources to maximize his abilities as needed. Particularly notable was the Swarm Queen’s bile, known for tripling the effects of awakening buffs or awakening-type potions. Although its duration was short—only 30 seconds—it was famed for having no side effects.
For now, Kang-hoo completed his doping by taking just one Solarkium, planning to decide what to use next based on the situation.
Shaaah!
Immediately, Kang-hoo deployed Corrupted Beasts and sent them ahead for reconnaissance. This was an efficient way to assess danger without putting himself at risk.
The three others expressed admiration as they watched the Corrupted Beasts emerge from Kang-hoo. Resembling black demons, these creatures looked more like summons from a black mage than an assassin. That such beings came from Kang-hoo naturally amazed them all.
【Shadow Step】
At the same time, Kang-hoo scattered shadows in all directions. Why? Because he spotted what appeared to be a trap.
At first glance, the ground looked ordinary. But viewed through the flow of mana, the ripples were far too intense, indicating something special or a mechanism triggered by mana at that spot. Since nothing was visibly present, it could only be assumed to be a trap.
Pop!Kang-hoo quickly swapped places with one of the shadows and then performed a duplication technique. Naturally, he couldn’t step on the trap himself, so he sent his clone to take the hit instead.
Sure enough, as the clone stepped over the suspicious area, sharp spikes shot upward from the ground. The clone vanished on the spot, revealing the deadly hidden mechanism.
“See that? His situational awareness is top-notch. He’s as cautious as I am and just as good at reacting.”
Takashi watched Kang-hoo with a satisfied expression. Emilia and Yu Cheonghwa nodded in agreement.
Inside the dungeon, it was vital to constantly suspect everything and uncover what’s hidden. That tenacity and the way Kang-hoo responded were eerily reminiscent of Takashi himself.
But their admiration didn’t stop there.
Kyaaaaak!
From the mountain ridge ahead, several birds suddenly appeared in unison—commonly called “Red Birds.” Everyone except Kang-hoo already knew how to respond to the Red Birds; it was information shared beforehand. However, they had intentionally withheld it from Kang-hoo for testing purposes.
The moment Kang-hoo saw the Red Birds, he extended his shadow far to the rear without hesitation—farther back than even where Emilia, Yu Cheonghwa, and Takashi were standing, the furthest point relative to the Red Birds.
When Kang-hoo swapped positions with the shadow, a red sword icon appeared right above his head: target marked as hostile.
It was a pattern: the Red Birds always targeted the rearmost person with their firebomb barrage.
Kugwagwagwagwa!
Fireballs released by the Red Birds came flying with a flap of their wings, but Kang-hoo had already evacuated the area. He had used Shadow Step to switch with another shadow he’d left behind as a decoy. It took minimal effort.
Takashi, arms crossed, looked proudly at Kang-hoo and said, “How’s that? It’s just the beginning, but he’s definitely got great instincts. The way he adapts patterns to variables—just like me.”
“Takashi, it kinda sounds like you’re patting yourself on the back. Why’s that?”
“…Was it that obvious?”
“Very obvious.”
“Ugh. Busted, huh?”
As Emilia struck right at his weak spot, Takashi playfully shook his body in mock embarrassment.
Yu Cheonghwa nodded at Takashi’s words but remained cautious not to get too swept up. “Yeah, he seems to have good instincts. But once isn’t enough. It needs to be consistent and sustained.”
“You’ll find him more interesting the more you watch.”
“Why do you seem more excited than Shin Kang-hoo himself?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I’ve got someone I want to introduce. Don’t you know the feeling of wanting to share something precious?”
“It’s just that I’ve never seen you care this much for an outsider before.”
“He’s worth it. Has been up till now, and will continue to be.”
Takashi’s gaze brimmed with certainty.
Emilia and Yu Cheonghwa knew well that Takashi wasn’t the impulsive type. It had taken time for him to grow close to them, and they had gone through their own share of trust trials. There was no way he would open up to Kang-hoo this easily without reason. There had to be something more.
After that, thanks to Kang-hoo’s pattern-based strategy, the team passed the Red Bird zone with surprising ease and entered combat.
From here on, it was no longer about pattern play but about raw power—relying on each person’s unique abilities.
If the start had been a solo showcase by Kang-hoo, now it was his turn to observe their skills.
As soon as the battle began—
Yu Cheonghwa copied Kang-hoo’s clone skill and sent a duplicate resembling herself toward a monster.
Their opponent was a bipedal lizard monster, known to split and regenerate even after death.
Yu Cheonghwa made her clone embrace the lizard tightly—and then detonated on the spot.
Judging by Kang-hoo’s observation, the explosion skill was not a copied one but original to Yu Cheonghwa.
Srrrk! Sssk! Srrrk!
The exploded lizard monster used its scattered flesh as nutrients to divide and regenerate again.
But Yu Cheonghwa employed a mental disruption skill to prevent the regeneration of the lizard’s consciousness.
As a result, the lizard was rendered mindless, left to stand dazed before finally exploding to death.
It didn’t divide again afterward. With its brain essentially blanked, there was no command to split.
‘As expected of Yu Cheonghwa.’
From a distance, Kang-hoo watched Yu Cheonghwa effortlessly ravage monsters with just a flick of her hand—and it made him tense up.
Of course, even then, he didn’t forget to apply a bleeding effect to every monster within sight. In a dungeon like this, maintaining bleeding was a constant. It had to be done, and it couldn’t be interrupted.
‘That’s just the tip of the iceberg.’
Kang-hoo knew well the abilities of all members of the Thirteen Stars, as originally portrayed in the source material. That’s why it was obvious that Yu Cheonghwa and the others were only revealing a fraction of their real power.
“Nice bleeding sustain! My skill cooldowns don’t line up, so my bleeds always get cut off, but this is totally comfortable!”
Takashi, now fully engaged in combat, was practically giddy.
Normally, when it was just the three of them—Yu Cheonghwa, Emilia, and himself—he was mainly responsible for the bleeding role. But now that Kang-hoo was proving to be even better at maintaining bleeding, Takashi could finally let go.
As a clone rather than a physical body, Takashi could move more fluidly than a normal human. Sometimes his joints bent in ways that made one wonder if it was even possible—movements impossible for a real body.
Takashi’s unique trait was absorbing black-colored orbs whenever he killed a monster. Only Takashi could absorb these orbs, and the more he did, the stronger his clone became.
Furthermore, gathering enough orbs would allow him to enter a state called Frenzy—his version of an “Ultimate Mode.” Though the official term was Frenzy, Takashi liked calling it Ultimate Mode, referencing gaming lingo.
In that state, he could use enhanced versions of existing skills and even new ones that were otherwise inaccessible. There were also many patterns that let him collect and utilize even more orbs—so the potential was limitless.
‘What a treat for the eyes.’
That was Kang-hoo’s honest opinion. It wasn’t that he thought his own skills were lacking—but rather that he was getting a taste of the world of top-tier hunters.
After all, this was a battle between three hunters whose levels easily exceeded 650. Considering that Kang-hoo was only at level 276, it was only natural for him to feel a massive gap.
At that moment—
“Shall I begin?”
Emilia, who had quietly observed the fight so far, finally stepped forward. Even though quite some time had passed since the battle began, neither Yu Cheonghwa nor Takashi seemed to mind her late participation. Kang-hoo didn’t either, as he was already familiar with her style of attack.
Still, he watched Emilia with curiosity, wondering how the textual descriptions from the original would manifest in reality.
The next moment—
Gogogogogo…
As Emilia extended her black parasol embroidered with rose patterns, a wave of dark energy surged toward her. The amount of dark energy swirling around the parasol instantly became four times greater than Kang-hoo’s maximum output.
At the same time, Yu Cheonghwa mentally “enslaved” multiple monsters, compelling them to gather in a line. Takashi also pushed back a large monster he was fighting, positioning it perfectly in Emilia’s path. Kang-hoo, too, lured a golem-type monster toward her while applying bleed.
No one exchanged a single word—but it was as if they were one perfectly synchronized unit.
Then—
Paang!
Emilia’s hair billowed as a dark-energy blast erupted from the tip of her parasol and swept through the monster formation.
Puh-suk! Puh-suh-seuk! Puh-suk!
It was an overwhelming sight—like watching sacrificial offerings melt away in a blast of fire. The shockwave of dark energy extended farther, stronger, and more destructively than expected—erasing every monster in its path in an instant.
Though Emilia’s energy waned and her gaze dulled slightly, her power had already obliterated everything.
‘So this is the everyday reality of the world they live in. Fascinating. With teammates like these, team play must be really fun.’
In game terms, it felt like running a raid with top-tier rankers—Kang-hoo’s excitement soared. There was a thrill in sweeping through everything so cleanly, a sense of overwhelming dominance that couldn’t be felt in the world of mid- or low-tier hunters.
Of course, admiration only went so far.
Since the battle phase was still ongoing, Kang-hoo quickly rushed to Takashi, who was mid-fight, and asked, “Takashi.”
“Yeah?”
“Your clone doesn’t get flash-blinded, right?”
“Ah, yeah, it’s fine. I’ve got alternate vision types. Why?”
“Because I think it’s about to get real flashy!”
Right in front of Takashi, Kang-hoo activated a skill—Shallow Flash. It was a skill he’d stolen from one of the boss monsters in the Cheongmyeong Detention Center’s seven dungeons. A disguise-type skill he got from a mid-boss… well, he figured it’d come in handy someday.
Shiiing!
“Kuaaaagh!”
Monsters caught in the flash groaned in pain and clawed at their eyes. Every monster here relied on visual perception, so they were powerless against temporary blindness.
In other words, they had become helpless blind prey—perfect for Kang-hoo to slice through.
A flash-type skill used by an assassin? Kang-hoo always brought something unexpected.
Takashi, fully charmed, gave him a big thumbs-up. “Wow, blind! That’s pretty cool too!”
Kang-hoo grinned wide and charged at the staggering, blinded monsters. He left Takashi with one last comment as he dashed by, wind trailing in his wake.
“Time for me to earn my meal.”