Chapter 318: The World They Live In (4)
Wherever Kang-hoo passed, monsters writhed in pain, their necks, sides, or other vital points cut.
Those he could finish off using Blood Flower were killed; those he couldn’t were left alone.
The reason was simple.
Takashi was following behind Kang-hoo, and Kang-hoo had full confidence that Takashi would handle the rest.
Their teamwork was seamless.
It was as if Kang-hoo prepared the ingredients and Takashi cooked the dish—they fought as one.
The highlight of their coordination came when a massive monster appeared ahead: a giant black bear.
Its sheer height and bulk exuded an overwhelming presence, but their attacks did not falter.
Spotting the giant black bear first, Takashi slammed his greatsword into the ground with both hands and shouted, “Shin Kang-hoo! It’s under a debuff—go for it!”
“Got it.”Kang-hoo wasn’t surprised that Takashi cast a debuff skill.
Takashi’s use of skills involving black orbs was impressively versatile.
This was just another sign that “the world they live in” was different—it made perfect sense.
For an ordinary hunter, it would have been shocking.
A hunter primarily using a sword suddenly casting a debuff skill?
But in the world of top-tier hunters, who often have two, three, or even four specialized skill fields, such things are completely normal.
Just like how Jang Si-hwan, though a mage, excels in spatial manipulation, or how Chae Gwanhyeong, a swordsman, blends in magic.
Crack!
Then, like a bolt of lightning, black energy split through the ground and enveloped the giant black bear in an instant.
At that moment, Kang-hoo clearly saw it.
The bear’s skin, which had looked tough just seconds ago, had visibly softened.
【Lightning Rain】
【Lightning Rain】
He threw two daggers in rapid succession.
With its now-weakened hide, any hit would clearly bury the blades deep.
But unaware of the sudden changes to its body, the black bear reacted as usual, blocking one dagger with its arm and letting the other land.
Thud! Thuck!
“Oogh. Oogh.”
The giant black bear gave a smirk, lifting its arm in smug confidence, as if mocking Kang-hoo.
Its expression was full of pride—as if to say, “You think that’ll bring me down?”
“Oogh?”
But then, it noticed something was wrong. The daggers had pierced far deeper than expected.
And the next moment—
Slice!
One more dagger from Kang-hoo sliced past the bear’s neck.
To say it “grazed” it would be an understatement—a large chunk of flesh, along with blood, was torn away. A fatal strike.
Again, the now-softened skin couldn’t hold up.
【Blood Flower】
A blooming burst of blood followed.
Unlike the minor wounds on its arms, the bear was rattled by the explosion from its neck.
Its head twisted to an unnatural angle, and blood gushed uncontrollably.
Not that it stayed rattled for long.
Slash!
Kang-hoo was already in front of its neck and, without hesitation, slit its throat.
A red line formed where the dagger passed, soon splitting wide open—its head fell back. Dead.
“Whew.”
Finally exhaling, Kang-hoo smiled down at the lifeless black bear.
It had been a clean combo with Takashi.
Even without any verbal communication, their synchronization was flawless.
This was the kind of teamwork Kang-hoo hoped to eventually have with his other core partner, Park Dong-jae. Compared to the all-rounded Takashi, Dong-jae still had a long way to go.
Meanwhile,
Emilia, who had been quietly observing Kang-hoo and Takashi’s coordination, began softly clapping once the battle was over.
“The way the blood burst… it looked like crimson roses falling from the sky. So beautiful. Like a painting.”
To Emilia, who had a particular fondness for roses, crimson roses were her ultimate favorite.
The blood spray created by Blood Flower looked uncannily like rose petals fluttering in a storm.
“Blood Flower, huh? What an intriguing skill.”
Yu Cheonghwa also expressed admiration.
Though hers was more analytical than Emilia’s emotional awe.
She was able to view the brief, copied version of Blood Flower’s skill info.
Unlike her own fixed skills, copied ones only show brief descriptions.
【Blood Flower – Usable once】
【Triggers an explosion from wounds】
Even this was enough explanation.
A flower of blood.
It contained all the meaning in that phrase.
Even the spectacle matched it well. “Beautiful” wasn’t an exaggeration.
It was a skill that fit an assassin like Kang-hoo perfectly.
To pour all his strength into one blow and detonate it afterward—how could that not be a critical hit?
Yu Cheonghwa asked, “Emilia, what do you think?”
“About what?”
“Shin Kang-hoo’s skill.”
“Well, his ability to maintain bleed status is seriously impressive. If we looked at that alone, he might be better than some of our Justice hunters.”
“I feel the same.”
They both agreed that Kang-hoo’s bleeding technique was unrivaled.
Truthfully, the hunters from Justice weren’t known for maintaining bleeding effects or similar finesse.
Their strength lay in powerful, devastating blows and excellent synergy between their skills.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t maintain bleeding effects, but they couldn’t do it as consistently and effectively as Kang-hoo.
Of course, even their level of bleed maintenance was more than enough to clear dungeons.
It was just that Takashi, who usually filled that role, often grumbled about it.
“And don’t you think his skill set leans more toward heavy-hitting rather than chip damage?”
Yu Cheonghwa had assumed Emilia wasn’t particularly interested in Kang-hoo, given how little she seemed to focus on him.
But clearly, she had been observing everything in detail. She had just been pretending not to care.
At that moment, Kang-hoo, having just defeated the giant black bear, was engaging the next monster.
Since it wasn’t a situation that needed ranged support, the two women continued to enjoy the spectacle.
A short while later,
Yu Cheonghwa, having identified a few key points, spoke up first.
“He’s extremely aggressive. But he doesn’t dodge ahead of time. He only evades when the monster’s pattern has already become unstoppable.”
“Feels like watching an assassin trained to the extreme. That’s how I see it. Fascinating.”
Emilia’s gaze deepened as she licked her lips. She was getting more and more drawn in by Kang-hoo.
Yu Cheonghwa, too, found herself admiring the precision in every one of Kang-hoo’s movements.
It wasn’t a matter of luck, nor was it because he was showing off for them.
It was a habit deeply ingrained in his body.
To a third party, that habit made him seem flawless.
Emilia shifted the topic.
“I think Jang Si-hwan might take a keen interest in him. Don’t you think? One position our Justice guild is missing right now is an assassin.”
“Not might—he already did. The guild made an offer, but he turned it down.”
“Hah, as expected. But if you ask me… I hope he never joins Justice. It’s like, I don’t want Shin Kang-hoo to be tainted.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying we’re tainted?”
“Don’t you think it’s true?”
“……”
Yu Cheonghwa couldn’t respond right away to Emilia’s words.
Emilia’s eyes, staring back at her, were filled with melancholy—like she had a lot on her mind.
“My thoughts have changed a lot lately. I’m starting to think, even if it’s not Jang Si-hwan, there must be others who can show us a broader world.”
Emilia’s gaze lingered on Kang-hoo for quite a while before turning back to Yu Cheonghwa.
“I don’t know anymore. But I do agree—Shin Kang-hoo has charm. Though his level is lower than expected.”
“Does level really matter?”
While Yu Cheonghwa remained cautious, Emilia seemed to have made up her mind.
Her interest in Kang-hoo wasn’t romantic—it was a professional assessment as a hunter.
And her discerning eyes sparkled brightly.
After a fierce round of combat, Kang-hoo and Takashi, still leading the way, stepped into a new area.
Even from a distance, the violet smoke-laced wind had looked suspicious.
And sure enough, upon entering, they encountered a debuff pattern that was difficult to figure out.
“Feels like our health is draining, right?”
“It’s dropping by percentage. That means even if you have a lot of HP, you lose just as much.”
“Let’s back out for now.”
After sharing their thoughts, Kang-hoo and Takashi quickly retreated.
There was no alternate route, so if they wanted to proceed, they’d have to go through here eventually.
But at this rate of HP loss, even lasting 10 seconds seemed unlikely.
They were losing more than 10% of their health per second.
Even after briefly entering and exiting, both Kang-hoo and Takashi looked visibly annoyed by the enervating feeling clinging to their bodies.
It seemed likely that once your HP dropped to a certain point, it would trigger a shock or some other secondary effect.
Takashi began repeatedly using his clone to dart in and out.
He was analyzing the pattern—textbook behavior.
But Kang-hoo remained still.
“Doesn’t seem like there’s a separate core applying the debuff… and there’s no pattern monster either.”
Takashi murmured to himself, frustrated.
Identifying the mechanics of a pattern you’ve never seen before is never easy.
Following a pre-made mountain trail is simple, but carving a new path through unknown terrain is hard.
If successful, the reward is great—but if you fail, the price might be death.
“Can’t go through the air either…”
Takashi’s mutterings were actually helpful to Kang-hoo—they helped eliminate possibilities.
After all, pattern analysis often relies on the process of elimination. You remove what doesn’t work.
BOOM!
From a distance, Emilia conjured a gust of wind to push away the violet smoke.
But there was no change.
The smoke was pushed back momentarily, then returned to its original place. If anything, it seemed denser—likely a backfire.
“Sorry.”
Seeing Kang-hoo turn back expressionlessly, Emilia bit her fingernail, flustered.
She felt like she’d just turned herself into a burden, when she could’ve at least stayed neutral by doing nothing.
But Kang-hoo gave her a faint smile and shook his head. It meant, “Don’t worry.” She had more than earned her keep during the earlier battle.
Kang-hoo’s deep contemplation drifted toward all the patterns and answers he’d imagined back when he was the original author.
After all, this world was largely built upon what his own hands and mind had created.
Though this was his first time entering this dungeon, the mechanics within should still fall within familiar territory.
So what was the trick?
If he were the author designing this, how would he ensure the solution wasn’t too easily found?
After about a minute of pondering, among the many possibilities, one plausible option emerged.
Kang-hoo raised his left hand in front of his face.
Then—
Slice!
Without hesitation, he cut the side of his forearm with a dagger.
To anyone who didn’t know better, it would look like a shocking act of self-harm!
“Hey, Shin Kang-hoo! What the hell? Are you insane?”
Even Takashi, who rarely gets startled, was taken aback by Kang-hoo’s sudden move.